A little less than seven weeks ago, FanGraphs had the Cubs sitting at a mere 6.0% chance to make the postseason. The Brewers were nearly 70 points higher, the Reds were over 23%, and even the Cardinals had a slight advantage on Chicago’s National League ballclub. That was on July 17, when the Cubs lost to the Nationals in the first game of their series after having dropped two of three to the Red Sox to open the second half.
Things, they were not looking good.
The Cubs then went on to win 10 of their next 11 games and are 28-12 overall from that Nats loss heading into their doubleheader with the Reds.