Cubs could be a team no one wants to face in playoffs

Every year, there seems to be that one team "nobody wants to play" in the playoffs.

Could the Cubs be that team this year?

Could be.

Although the Cubs are in third place in the National League Central behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals and the second-place Pittsburgh Pirates, they may be in the best position to succeed come October.

The Cardinals have been the best team in the league all year, but the Cubs nearly swept them last week in St. Louis.

There are other teams to watch out for, as well. The Pirates may yet catch the Cardinals. The New York Mets trot out some formidable starting pitching, and the addition of outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has given them a much-needed jolt of offense.

The Cubs come with some caveats. Their bullpen has shown signs of fraying, and the rotation has gotten most of its consistent performances from Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester in the second half.

It's also wise to remember that the one-game playoff is pretty much a coin flip. A bad break here or there, and your season is over in one night.

Nevertheless, a few factors point to the Cubs being that one team that gets into the postseason as a wild card and then goes deep. Here's a look at some of those factors:

The Maddon factor:

From the time he got to Chicago last November, manager Joe Maddon has talked about the Cubs going to the playoffs. Throughout this season, it always has been "when" and not "if" every time Maddon mentioned Cubs and playoffs in the same sentence.

If you think that could put pressure on a young team, Maddon has that covered, too.

From the beginning, he has placed no more importance on any one game, no matter when it is.

"I don't care if it's March 8, June 8, May 8," Maddon said this past week in St. Louis, repeating a theme. "We play the same game. You don't prep any differently. You don't do more work. You don't do less work. You don't look at more video. Come out and play. Get yourself ready like you always do, and come out and play. I anticipate we're going to play hard.

"I really like to reduce it and understand it's really no different than the game you've been playing three months ago. Just play that same game, and we'll be fine."

The 1-2 punch:

When the Cubs signed Lester last winter, they envisioned him as the ace of the starting-pitching staff with his postseason experience becoming a factor when it was time to contend.

The time is now for the Cubs to be contending, but Lester has become the "2" to Arrieta's "1" in the starting rotation. And that's not bad.

Lester said recently that Arrieta not only is the best pitcher on the Cubs, but possibly the best in the league.

If the Cubs get into the wild-card game, Arrieta will start that, and the Cubs can have Lester open the division series if they win the play-in game.

Arrieta is 19-6 with a 1.99 ERA after beating the Phillies Friday at Philadelphia, and he is a Cy Young Award candidate. Lester's record is 9-10 with a 3.50 ERA. Since the all-star break Lester has 7 quality starts to Arrieta's 11. It's slim pickings after that for the Cubs, who have 2 quality starts from Jason Hammel, 2 from Kyle Hendricks and 1 each from Clayton Richard and Dan Haren since the break.

The kids are all grown up:

Maybe it gets back to the aforementioned Maddon factor above, but not only can the Cubs' young players play, but they don't seem affected in the least by pennant-race pressure.

Anthony Rizzo, the "old" veteran at 26, has epitomized Maddon's belief that "leadership is taken, not given." Rizzo has taken a leadership role on the team, and he's produced at the plate and played outstanding defense.

Rookies Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber not only have played well, but they've done it with poise. Bryant has done it while playing third base and the outfield. Russell played a good second base when he came up, and he's now showing why he was a top prospect at shortstop after moving there for good Aug. 7.

Javier Baez came back to the big leagues as a September call-up, and he has been a valuable defender anywhere the Cubs put him, and the bat looks like it has come around.

Maddon benched 25-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro, but he did so without "losing" the player. The feeling here was that Castro would contribute in some way down the stretch, and he has done so.

Yes, there's a long way to go, but if I'm the general manager or manager of another playoff contender in the National League, I'm casting a wary eye on the Cubs.

• Follow Bruce's reports on Twitter @BruceMiles2112.