After taking two tough losses to open up a pivotal four-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field, the Cubs' cushion in the second Wild Card spot has taken a bit of a hit.
While the next two games loom incredibly large, the Cubs do still hold a two-game lead over the D-Backs for the second spot.
Arizona currently holds a 0.5 game lead on the Miami Marlins for the final Wild Card spot, while leading the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants by 1.5 and 2.5 games respectively.
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The Marlins topped the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, softening the Cubs' loss in terms of their deficit on the first Wild Card spot, where they trail Philadelphia by two games.
The Reds fell to the NL Central rival St. Louis Cardinals, leaving them empty-handed on an opportunity to gain ground on the Cubs.
The Giants, while victorious in a comeback win over the Colorado Rockies, did not gain ground on a playoff spot thanks to Arizona's win.
As for the Cubs' hope at the NL Central title, the Milwaukee Brewers took advantage of the North Siders' loss by blowing out the New York Yankees in the Bronx, giving the Brew Crew a three-game cushion over the Cubs in the Central.
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Despite the tough losses, projections on the Cubs' playoff odds remain quite favorable.
Entering play on Saturday, Baseball Reference gave the Cubs a 90.8% chance to make the playoffs, while Fangraphs gives the North Siders an 85.8% chance of making it into October.
Here's a look at what the NL Central and Wild Card contenders have on the schedule Saturday:
Cubs - vs. Diamondbacks (Justin Steele vs. Merrill Kelly)
Diamondbacks - @ Cubs
Brewers - @ Yankees (Wade Miley vs. Michael King)
Reds - vs. Cardinals (Carson Spiers vs. Zack Thompson)
Marlins - @ Phillies (Johnny Cueto vs. Aaron Nola)
Phillies - vs. Marlins
Giants - vs. Rockies (Chase Anderson vs. Logan Webb)
The Cubs will look to take one from the D-Backs at Wrigley Field this afternoon at 1:20 p.m. local time.