Quantifying Hope: Cubs Have Better Playoff Odds Than 30-50 Feral Hogs

What a difference a week makes, huh? I know you’re not supposed to open with a tired cliché, but it fits in this case. When we last checked in on the Cubs’ playoff odds, they were on a collision course with the Cardinals as the rivals played disparate brands of baseball. Despite falling behind in the standings, the Cubs were clinging to the best postseason odds in the division and had just strengthened their roster at the deadline.

The Cardinals stood pat in a display of either hubris, stupidity, or both, and the results since have been borderline shocking. The Cubs dropped as low as 70.3% and had a lead of as little as 17.4 points in the odds race (July 30), but that has since broken wide…