Atlanta Braves sweep Nationals in a four‑game set, preserving a solid position in the draft lottery landscape while eyeing a rest-of-season run. A potential NL Rookie of the Year windfall from Drake Baldwin could dwarf any lottery wavering, and Hurston Waldrep’s bounce-back start reinforces his mid-rotation upside as Brandon Gaudin’s broadcast presence cements the Braves’ top‑tier TV experience.

On the MLB front, Quintana lands on the 15‑day IL for Milwaukee, Willson Contreras is shut down for the season in St. Louis, and Cole Wilcox earns a Rays bullpen opportunity, signaling late‑season value shifts across the league that fantasy managers will want to monitor alongside Braves’ development headlines.

Cubs clinch NL wild-card with an 8-4 win over Pittsburgh as Ian Happ closes it out, turning Gallagher Way into a quick celebration scene.

The piece taps 1984, when Sutcliffe’s gem sparked playoff fever and Durocher and Franks offered timeless Chicago Cubs lore, with fans spilling into Wrigleyville after the marquee flashed Cubs Win.

Since then Chicago has sent the team to the postseason ten times, including 2016's title year. Today’s postgame vibe blends nostalgia with a quieter, weekday ritual around Wrigley, a newer chapter in the Cubs' ongoing chase.

The Cubs clinch their playoff spot with an 8-4 victory over the Pirates, led by Ian Happ’s homer and three RBIs as Chicago extends its win streak to four and sits atop the NL wild-card race at 88-64. Nico Hoerner tallies two hits and scores three times, while Michael Busch adds a leadoff walk and a sac fly that sparks a key three-run sixth. Aaron Civale handles three scoreless innings for the win, and Chicago’s offense pounced early, leveraging a balk and an opponent’s mis plays to seize control.

Moises Ballesteros adds a second career homer, and Justin Turner provides RBI singles in a six-run sixth that breaks the game open. Pittsburgh’s Joey Bart hits a three-run shot in the bottom half, but the Cubs’ early surge—paired with a shaky start by Johan Oviedo—keeps Chicago in command. The Pirates fall to 10-3 in the season series, as Chicago solidifies its postseason trajectory.

Wednesday’s betting menu blends elite soccer with busy MLB action. Chelsea travels to Bayern Munich in a marquee UCL clash with Chelsea listed at +360 on the three-way line, while MLB features Cubs-Pirates and Reds-Cardinals with strong Over calls and key player props. Elly De La Cruz Over 1.5 total bases and Gunnar Henderson Over 1.5 total bases are highlighted alongside the Cubs and Cardinals offenses aiming to push runs earlier in the day.

Early-edge opportunities abound as the model-heavy picks emphasize value on underdogs and up-tempo offenses before the evening slate hits. The focus is on leveraging 10,000-simulated outcomes to identify bets with genuine upside across two high-profile markets, offering a compact blueprint for sharp bettors and fantasy managers alike.

Smart bettors will weigh the Chelsea upset potential against the MLB acceleration of early games, balancing cross-sport exposure with value-driven bets and consolidating into efficient multi-leg parlays for Wednesday’s busy window.