Quantifying Hope: Cubs at 60% Playoff Odds Heading into Brewers Series

I have neither time nor energy for anything other than the most basic column, which is probably best for both of us. Rather than skip this entry entirely, I thought it best to keep it going just for the sake of having a running log through the rest of the season. Heading into their matchup this weekend at Wrigley, the Cubs and Brewers are running neck and neck for the division lead.

They’re also possessed of nearly identical postseason odds, with the Brewers’ 60.2% edging out their neighbors to the south by two-tenths of a point. Those odds were reversed when I began this post, so I suppose it’s a good thing FanGraphs updated them at the right time.

These odds can shift over the next three days for obvious reasons, but the Cubs are also playing their first divisional contests of the season. Ideally, Craig Counsell‘s new team will beat up on his old one without actually having to engage in fisticuffs. The Brewers have already been involved in multiple benches-clearing incidents in 2024 and are sifting through suspensions from one with the Rays earlier in the week.

With so many players already on the shelf, the last thing the Cubs need is to get caught up in some BS with a team that always seems to operate on the chippy side.