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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton (22) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Cubs Magic Number For NL Wild Card Berth Stalls After Loss To Braves

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI | By Matt Postins | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 7:00 AM ET

One minute the Chicago Cubs had a no-hitter going and the next they ended up losing, 5-1, to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

Chicago rookie starter Cade Horton threw five innings of no-hit baseball, as he struck out six and walked one. But he handed the ball to reliever Ben Brown in the sixth inning and things fell apart, as Brown gave up two earned runs on one hit and the Braves ended up pulling away. Willi Castro drove in Chicago’s only run of the game.

It was a night when the Cubs (80-60) didn’t do much to help trim their playoff magic number and certainly didn’t help their dwindling NL Central title chances.

Cubs Magic Number to Clinch Playoff Berth

David Banks-Imagn Images

The Cubs’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth remained at 14. That’s because the first team out of the NL Wild Card race — the San Francisco Giants — won on Wednesday. The bad news for San Francisco is they won’t have the Colorado Rockies to beat up on after sweeping that series.

Any combination of Cubs wins and Giants losses trims Chicago’s magic number by one.

The NL Central race is all but lost. Chicago’s loss was combined with Milwaukee’s win over Philadelphia to push the Brewers six games ahead of the Cubs in the division. The Cubs are better off focusing on protecting its four-game lead over San Diego for the top wild card berth, which would yield a home series. The Cubs host the Washington Nationals starting on Friday and hope they can trim that magic number against one of the National League’s worst teams.

The Cubs are trying to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, when they won the NL Central title during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. That ended a run of five playoff berths in six seasons, which included the 2016 World Series title, the franchise’s first championship in more than a century.

Chicago Cubs Magic Number Watch

David Banks-Imagn Images

Magic Number to Clinch Playoff Berth: 14

Chicago Cubs Games Remaining: 22

Chicago Cubs Remaining Schedule: Sept. 5-7, vs. Washington; Sept. 8-10, at Atlanta; Sept. 12-14, vs. Tampa Bay; Sept. 15-17, at Pittsburgh; Sept. 18-21, at Cincinnati; Sept. 23-25 vs. New York Mets; Sept. 26-28, vs. St. Louis.

NL Wild Card Race (after Sept. 3)

Chicago Cubs: 80-60 (5.0 games ahead)

San Diego Padres: 76-64 (1.0 games ahead)

New York Mets: 75-65 (final berth)

San Francisco Giants: 71-69 (4.0 games behind final berth)

Cincinnati Reds: 70-70 (5.0 games behind final berth)

NL Central Update

Milwaukee Brewers: 86-54

Chicago Cubs: 80-60 (6.0 games behind)

Brewers Number to Clinch Playoff Berth: 8

Brewers Magic Number to clinch NL Central: 17

Brewers Games Remaining: 22

Milwaukee Brewers Remaining Schedule: Sept. 4, vs. Philadelphia; Sept. 5-7, at Pittsburgh; Sept. 8-10, at Texas; Sept. 12-14, vs. St. Louis; Sept. 16-18, vs. Los Angeles Angels; Sept. 19-21, at St. Louis; Sept. 22-24 at San Diego; Sept. 26-28, vs. Cincinnati.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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