How Phillies, Cubs Can Shake Up National League Playoff Picture

If anyone is going to catch the Brewers at this point, it will likely be Philadelphia or Chicago. At this point, the race for the No. 1 and No. 2 seed is what really matters. Both the top two seeds end up getting a bye in the first round of the playoffs right to the divisional round. If the playoffs were to begin today, the Brewers and the Phillies would have a bye.

MLB.com shared a look at the current playoff picture this week. It can be found here.

Milwaukee doesn't have any games against either the Cubs or the Phillies. The Brewers dropped two of three against the Phillies in a recent three-game series. The National League is loaded right now this year. The Cubs as the No. 4 seed would have to face the San Diego Padres and if they were to win their first round series would then have to face Milwaukee. The Los Angeles Dodgers would technically be the No. 3 seed as the NL West leader. The Phillies as the No. 2 seed would have to face either Los Angeles or the New York Mets.

Over the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see if either the Phillies or the Cubs could catch Milwaukee. The Brewers have been the best team in baseball this season, but had a slight step back in August. There's enough time for either the Phillies or the Cubs to catch the Brewers, but it's an uphill battle, for sure. Right now, the Brewers are the top seed. But, will that continue?

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