The race for the playoffs continues and things are getting more interesting by the day.

After the Brewers’ 7-1 loss Wednesday at Chicago, the Cardinals rallied for the second straight night to beat the Mets and keep Milwaukee’s magic number to clinch the NL Central championship stuck at 3.

The Brewers could wrap up the division Friday night. St. Louis would have to drop its game tomorrow against the Mets and then fall Friday to the Cubs while the Brewers would need to beat Florida at Miller Park.

Though St. Louis could still conceivably pass Milwaukee for the division lead, the Cardinals' focus at the moment is on the National League Wild Card, currently held by the Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta lost, 4-0, Wednesday to Florida, allowing St. Louis to draw within 1.5 games of the final NL playoff spot with the suddenly-resurgent Giants not far behind.

I’ll have more on this Friday, complete with comments from the Brewers. But in the meantime, here’s the full weekend schedule, including probable starters, for Milwaukee and St. Louis:

THURSDAY
Cardinals vs. Mets, 12:45 p.m.
Jake Westbrook (12-9, 4.58) vs Chris Capuano (11-12, 4.47)

FRIDAY
Brewers vs. Marlins, 7:10 p.m. (FS Wisconsin)
Yovani Gallardo (17-10, 3.60) vs. Chris Volstad (5-12, 5.13)

Cardinals vs. Cubs, 7:15 p.m.
Chris Carpenter (10-9, 3.66) vs. Ryan Dempster (10-13, 4.63)

SATURDAY
Cardinals vs. Cubs, 12:10 p.m. (WGN)
Kyle Lohse (14-8, 3.47) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (6-6, 4.71)

Brewers vs. Marlins, 6:10 p.m. (WMLW)
Zack Greinke (15-6, 3.75) vs. TBA

SUNDAY
Brewers vs. Marlins, 1:10 p.m. (FS Wisconsin)
Chris Narveson (10-8, 4.40) vs. Ricky Nolasco (10-11, 4.46)

Cardinals vs. Cubs, 1:15 p.m.
Edwin Jackson (12-9, 3.85) vs. Randy Wells (7-5, 5.09)