The Chicago Cubs entered the All-Star break with the second-best record in the National League, but that's only good enough for a one-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central division. At 57-39, the Cubs have 66 games remaining in 2025, and while baseball can certainly be unpredictable they have a very different-looking schedule left compared to the Brewers that could end up being the difference-maker in the division race.
The Brewers have been on a ridiculous run since May 25, going 31-12, which is the best record in baseball during the past seven weeks. Milwaukee has climbed back within one game of Chicago, but the two teams have gone through much different paths to reach their current status.
As of the All-Star break the Brewers had the third-easiest strength of schedule as their opponents had a combined winning percentage of .493. As for the Cubs, they had the sixth-toughest strength of schedule as the teams they faced had a .505 winning %.
Looking ahead to the final 2.5 months of the regular season the Cubs have the third-easiest schedule and the Brewers have the fifth-toughest according to MLB Tankathon.
According to Fangraphs, the Brewers only have the 10th toughest schedule for the rest of the season, but in turn the Cubs have the easiest remaining slate of games.
The Cubs and Brewers have eight head-to-head games remaining, including a five-game set at Wrigley Field from Aug. 18-21, that includes a double-header.
Ultimately, those head-to-head games will have major ramifications in the standings if one team dominates over the other, but the disparity of the strength of schedules may be the difference-maker in the division race. The Cubs have a good roster and should make a few moves to upgrade a couple of their weaknesses, so they really don't have an excuse to finish the 2025 strong and win the NL Central.
