The Cubs ended a 10-game slump with two wins to split a series in Pittsburgh, then moved to St. Louis for three games against their rivals. Their season has featured unusual streakiness, including long runs of wins and losses that do not alternate in a steady pattern. Earlier in the season, they salvaged a series against the Pirates and then entered a sequence of alternating streak lengths. The Brewers have continued strong performance, winning seven of ten and taking a four-game lead in the NL Central, while other division teams remain above .500. Cubs playoff odds have swung widely, dropping to 45.6% after a second Pirates loss and rising after subsequent wins.
"The Cubs pulled out of their 10-game nosedive with a pair of wins to split their series in Pittsburgh, and now they head to St. Louis for three with their Arch rivals. This season has been weird in a number of different ways, as the team has been defined by streakiness. It's not just the double-digit runs they've had in either direction, it's the fact that they don't alternate just one win and one loss."
"You probably recall that the Cubs then began the first of their two 10-game winning streaks, since which they lost three, won 10, lost four, won two, lost 10, and won two. Even though it all comes out in the wash, I just found that to be an odd cadence."
"Compounding the issues created by their run of futility is the Brewers' continued strong play. Milwaukee accounted for three of those 10 straight losses and has won seven of 10 to open a four-game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central. The rest of the division remains above .500, creating more gravity than usual this far into the season."
"As such, the Cubs' playoff odds graph looks like the Tetons with the way it rises up against the surrounding region only to plummet back down again. They dove all the way down to 45.6% following their second loss to the Pirates, which actually put them seven points below the ol' Buccos for a day. That flipped dramatically when two Cubs wins put them 10 points ahead of Pittsburgh."
Read at Cubsinsider
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