Streaking Cubs clinch first playoff spot since '20

PITTSBURGH -- Ian Happ homered and drove successful 3 runs, and the Chicago Cubs clinched their archetypal postseason berth since 2020 with an 8-4 triumph implicit the Pittsburgh Pirates connected Wednesday.

Chicago has won 4 successful a enactment and 7 of 8 overall. It leads the National League wild-card standings with an 88-64 record.

Nico Hoerner had 2 hits and scored 3 times for the Cubs. Justin Turner deed a brace of RBI singles aft entering successful the sixth.

The Cubs grabbed power with 3 runs successful the sixth, helped by errors connected Pirates reliever Yohan Ramírez (1-3) and catcher Joey Bart. Michael Busch drove successful Dansby Swanson with a tiebreaking sacrifice fly, and Happ and Turner added run-scoring singles.

Aaron Civale (4-9) pitched 3 scoreless innings for the win.

Chicago scored 4 runs successful the archetypal earlier Pittsburgh recorded an out. Busch walked and scored connected a balk earlier Happ deed his 23rd homer, a two-run thrust connected a curveball from Johan Oviedo that prompted an aboriginal mound visit. Moises Ballesteros drove the adjacent transportation implicit the partition successful close for his 2nd vocation homer.

Bart answered with a three-run changeable disconnected Matthew Boyd successful the bottommost half. Andrew McCutchen's bases-loaded locomotion successful the 2nd tied it astatine 4.

Boyd permitted 7 hits and walked 2 successful a season-low 3 innings.

Chicago went 10-3 against Pittsburgh successful the play series.