The embarrassing fate that the Brewers could help their division rival suffer

The Milwaukee Brewers should absolutely be trying to win every game, even with the NL Central clinched and a first-round bye in the MLB playoffs locked up. That being said, if the Brewers were to drop another game to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday and get swept, it might not be the worst thing in the world.

As I just mentioned, a loss doesn't actually hurt the Brewers when it comes to the playoffs. They'll more than likely be the No. 1 overall seed in the National League with home-field advantage for the entire playoffs. But by losing to the Padres, Milwaukee is actually hurting the division rival Cubs when it comes to playoff seeding.

The Cubs can still lose home field advantage for the Wild Card series

The Cubs are doomed for the Wild Card series thanks to the Brewers’ dominance in the NL Central, but it's still possible for Chicago to choke away home-field advantage for the Wild Card series in embarrassing fashion.

The Cubs have lost five games in a row, and thanks to the Brewers, the Padres have now won four games in a row. That brings San Diego (87-71) within 1.5 games of the Cubs (88-69) for the top Wild Card spot in the National League. Whoever holds the top Wild Card spot will host the second Wild Card team for a three-game series next week.

The three-game Wild Card Series happens fast. After 162 hard-fought games, your season can be over in a blink. Brewers fans know that unfortunate truth better than anyone.

Having those games at home can make all the difference, and sending the Cubs to play at Petco Park rather than Wrigley Field could ultimately be the difference in them advancing to the NLDS or going home early. There's a good chance the Brewers end up playing the winner of a Cubs-Padres series. Unfortunately for the Brewers fans, Milwaukee is under .500 against both clubs this season.

Playing the Padres may give the Brewers a better “home-field advantage" than they would have in a date with the nearby Cubs, and if we are to view San Diego as the preferred NLDS matchup for Milwaukee, helping the Padres get home-field advantage wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. 

Plus, it would be an embarrassing collapse from the Cubs that sets the tone for the postseason. That's always fun to watch.