The Armageddon Scenario and Why It Could Be Good For The Cubs
There is a weird Armageddon scenario that could play out in the National League this year, which would leave the NL with a four-way tie. This would have the Milwaukee Brewers, St Louis Cardinals, LA Dodgers, and Colorado Rockies all tied at the end of 162, and would force three additional tiebreaker games starting October 1st.
Here is how it could happen:
- Milwaukee Brewers finish 2-4
- St Louis Cardinals finish 4-2
- LA Dodgers finish 4-2
- Colorado Rockies finish 6-1
This would force a one-game playoff with the Rockies and Dodgers for the NL West title. The Brewers and the Cardinals would also face off to see who wins the first Wild Card spot. These two games would be played on October 1st.
Then the losers of the Rockies/Dodgers and Brewers/Cardinals would play to see who wins the second Wild Card. This game would be played October 2nd.
Finally, October 3rd the actual one-game Wild Card game would be played.
So how does this help the Cubs?
Regardless of who ends up playing the Cubs, they would have already used either their ace or their top two pitchers, and potentially top three pitchers. Even if the teams look at it as a double-elimination type of situation, it is more likely than not that they would have either used their top pitcher on October 1st or at least in the October 3rd Wild Card game. This would mean the Cubs would likely see any of the team’s number three starter. There is a chance that they try to move their ace up to pitch on three days rest pitching Oct 1, then back again on Oct 4th when the NLDS starts, but that seems unlikely.
The other way it could help, this Cubs team needs rest. Even though they made it out of that grueling 30 day stretch with an impressive 18-11 record, they can use a break that all of the other teams in the playoff hunt received.
Here’s hoping the Armageddon scenario plays out. The Cubs could use the break.
