Chicago Cubs: Can Anyone Beat Them?

The Chicago Cubs are easily the best team in the league, but who stands a chance of taking them down in the playoffs?

This just might be the year, folks. At 92-52, the Cubs are six games up on the rest of baseball with 18 games left to play. Their roster is stacked with MVP candidates in the lineup and Cy Young contenders in the rotation. Overall, the club leads the majors in ERA and defensive runs saved. They’re third in runs scored.

Having basically locked down the No. 1 seed in the National League, Chicago will likely face the winner of the Wild Card game in the Division Series. Three teams are currently separated by one game in the Wild Card race: the Giants, Mets and Cardinals.

San Francisco has barely hung on since the All-Star break. The club is 20-34 since the break after starting off the year 57-33. They still have a filthy 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation in Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto, but the rest of their arms raise several question marks. Their offense isn’t really anything special, but Buster Posey and Brandon Belt are as dangerous as they come in the batter’s box. Can they beat the Cubs? It’s going to take a little bit of even year magic to pull this one off.

The Mets have seemingly pulled off the impossible. They are hanging around in the playoff race despite having their entire team on the DL. Okay, maybe not everyone, but here’s a list of players from their Opening Day roster who are currently on the shelf: David Wright, Lucas Duda, Neil Walker, Juan Lagares, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz. Injuries or not, New York is still in this thing. Noah Syndergaard is a more than capable ace, although he has a serious problem with holding baserunners. Their offense will hit a lot of homers but would have to get hot to go anywhere deep this postseason. Can they beat the Cubs? That World Series meltdown is going to hurt a whole lot more after this.

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The numbers say St. Louis shouldn’t be a playoff contender, but the name embroidered across their chests say otherwise. The Cardinals have made the postseason in six of the past seven seasons, giving them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the stretch run. Carlos Martinez is the ace of a rather unspectacular pitching staff, but their bullpen can certainly hold their own. The Cards have slowly been getting players back from injury, and Aledmys Diaz’s return can only bode well for St. Louis. Can they beat the Cubs? It could happen, but the rotation would need to pitch a hell of a series.

If the Cubs move on from the Division Series, their competition will only get stiffer. The Dodgers and Nationals sit at the top of their respective divisions, but are they capable of putting an end to Chicago’s title run?

Los Angeles’ lineup may be one of the most underrated in baseball. They are the only team in the NL with five players (minimum 113 games played) who sport an OPS+ of 115 or higher. Corey Seager may be the brightest spot for this offense, but Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez can be a pitcher’s nightmare. Clayton Kershaw is back on the mound, giving the Dodgers the edge every fifth game once again. Can they beat the Cubs? Chicago would be the favorite, but don’t count out the Dodgers just yet.

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The Nationals, owners of an 86-59 record and a magic number in the single digits, may pose the biggest threat to the Cubs’ pennant dreams. Their rotation may not have Stephen Strasburg, but Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark are two of the best pitchers in baseball. Daniel Murphy could usurp the presumptive Kris Bryant for MVP, and Trea Turner has been one of the hottest hitters in the league since the All-Star Break. Mark Melancon and Shawn Kelley are capable of shortening games, making this team a complete roster all the way around. Can they beat the Cubs? With the only pitching staff that can go eye-to-eye with Chicago, it could certainly happen.

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