Sept. 18--After their 7-4 trip, the Cubs are in even stronger position to clinch National League playoff berth on their upcoming 10-game homestand.
And home-field advantage -- albeit for the one game play-in -- looms even larger if they can catch the Pirates, whom they beat 9-6 Thursday at PNC Park.
The victory gave the Cubs (85-61) a 10-6 series advantage over the Pirates (87-59) with three games left against them Sept. 25-27 at Wrigley Field. That assures the Cubs of hosting the Oct. 7 NL wild-card game if the teams finish tied.
"All of us feel we're totally capable of catching them, but that's why you play the game," Chris Coghlan said after the Cubs unleashed a 17-hit attack. "There are a lot of variables that can happen. We can't let our guard down. We have to beat the teams we need to beat. We also have to play Pittsburgh and still play St. Louis.
"And there are some teams that don't have records as good as them, but we have to take care of business with them, too."
Now, after a three-city trip that included a 5-2 record at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, the Cubs start a three-game series Friday against the NL Central-leading Cardinals.
"My mindset is still on the Cardinals," manager Joe Maddon said. "It's one game at a time, but our goal is to win the division. (If) we choose not to think that way, we're not going to play as well as we possibly can."
The trip boosted the Cubs' confidence heading into their final 16 games, especially after taking three of four at PNC Park -- where they would meet the Pirates in the wild-card game if they don't catch them.
"I don't think we're necessarily thinking about making a statement," Coghlan said. "Our whole year has made a statement. But this was a huge series, no doubt about it.
"You win a game (against the Pirates), it's two games. You win three of four, that's how you make up games. You can't ask for really much more than that."
The Cubs have a decent shot at catching the Pirates, who will face NL Cy Young contenders Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw on Friday and Saturday nights when they visit Dodger Stadium before heading to Colorado for four games before their three-game rematch against the Cubs.
"That's tough for them to change time zones," Maddon said. "We just went through it. It's not easy."
The Cubs lost four of six at San Francisco and Los Angeles at the end of August before losing two of three at home to Cincinnati. But since then, they have won 10 of 14 and look forward to returning to Wrigley, where they have a 43-28 record.
The Cubs still need to shore up the back end of their rotation, as Kyle Hendricks allowed four runs (three homer) in three innings Thursday and subsequently was pulled.
"I can't say it's not (a concern), but I can't classify it as an overt concern," Maddon said.
Anthony Rizzo sparked a six-run fifth inning with a two-run homer, his 30th. Rizzo joined Hall of Famer Billy Williams as the only left-handed hitters in franchise history to hit 30 home runs in multiple seasons.
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