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Ah, meaningful September baseball. If you've been a Cubs fan for decades, meaningful September baseball is something to be savored. And five consecutive years of meaningful September baseball is impressive under any circumstances.

As of this writing, the Cubs sit 4.5 games behind the Cardinals for the NL Central lead and 1.5 games ahead of the Diamondbacks for the second Wild Card spot. Chicago and St. Louis face off seven more times before the end of the regular season, in two series that could tip the scales of the NL Central race.  Four of those games will be at Wrigley.

Aside from those seven games, the Cubs have a more favorable schedule from here on out, facing the Padres, Pirates, and Reds -- sub-.500 teams all but out of the wild card chase -- while the Cards face the Rockies, Brewers, Nationals, and Diamondbacks. Three of those four teams are over .500 and in the thick of the playoff hunt. Ten of the Cubs' final 20 games are at home while nine of the Cards' final 19 games are at home.

While this site focuses on winning the NL Central title, we'll now also include the Cubs Magic Number to clinch a wild card spot. As of Monday morning, that number is 19.

Here's hoping that the Cubs can make up some ground on the Cards during the four-game series in San Diego that starts today. 142 games down, 20 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

Image Credits:  Chicago Cubs / MLB