CSN's JJ Stankevitz and Tony Andracki talk about the Cubs approaching the season's stretch run in this week's Road Ahead, presented by Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Honda Dealers.
After a six-game road trip on the West Coast that wasn't so kind to the Cubs (2-4) — aside from Jake Arrieta's no-hitter Sunday — the North Siders are back in Chicago for a six-game homestand against the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks.
MLB's active rosters will expand from 25 to 40 on Tuesday, which indicates we're entering the stretch run of the season. Teams are gearing up for a final playoff push, and the Cubs, for the first time in a long time, find themselves in the thick of the NL race.
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Despite a 2-4 record during their most recent road stint, the Cubs entered Monday 5.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants for the NL's second wild card spot.
With 10 of the next 13 games against opponents with a sub-.500 record, now is the time for the Cubs to take advantage of a favorable schedule and perhaps creep up on the Pittsburgh Pirates (five-game lead) for the No. 1 wild card spot.
"[The Cubs] really need to capitalize on this, given that 10 of their next 13 after that are against the Cardinals and Pirates, in what should decide the NL Central," Andracki said.
MLB
Check out what else Stankevitz and Andracki had to say in the video above.