CHICAGO _ Craig Kimbrel put his hands on his hips in disbelief as Paul DeJong rounded the bases with gusto.
After the Cubs overcame three deficits and were three outs from regaining momentum toward an increasingly improbable National League playoff berth, the Cardinals stunned them. Yadier Molina and DeJong hit home runs on Kimbrel's first two pitches to start the ninth inning to deliver the Cubs a 9-8 defeat Saturday afternoon before a silenced crowd of 40,071 at Wrigley Field.
Javier Baez, batting for the first time since suffering a hairline fracture of his left thumb on Sept. 1, struck out with the tying run on first against Carlos Martinez to end the game for the Cubs' fifth consecutive loss.
The heartbreaking loss pushed the Cubs (82-73) six games behind the Cardinals (88-67) with seven games remaining.
It marked the second time in three games Kimbrel surrendered a game-winning home run since his return from the injured list.
Kimbrel, who agreed to terms with the Cubs on June 5, has allowed nine home runs in 20 2/3 innings.
His penchant for allowing home runs isn't the only reason the Cubs' run of four consecutive playoff appearances and the status of manager Joe Maddon are in jeopardy.
But the Cubs wasted several clutch hits, including a wind-aided, two-run home run from pinch-hitter Tony Kemp over the center-field wall with one out in the seventh for an 8-7 lead.
Kemp's homer occurred one pitch after reliever Giovanny Gallegos was called for a balk prior to striking out Kemp on an 0-2 pitch. Instead, Ben Zobrist _ who started the rally with a double _ advanced to third to set up Kemp's first home run since July 20 against the Rangers while playing for the Astros.
The homer represented the fifth lead change and occurred moments after Marcell Ozuna hit a low pitch off left-hander Kyle Ryan for a two-run homer.
The importance of winning every game wasn't lost on Maddon entering Saturday's game.
"Every one, in a singular fashion, are absolute must-wins," Maddon said before the game. "You really don't want to give up anymore ground right now. So these are one day at a time.
"They're almost like all seventh games we're playing right now. But you got to do it in a manner you're not pressing during these games."
The sense of urgency surfaced in the top of the fourth, when left-hander Jose Quintana was pulled after allowing a game-tying single to pinch-hitter Rangel Ravelo, and about four hours after Maddon said the Cubs "needed to ride Q as much as we possibly can."
However, Dexter Fowler followed with a two-run single that was neutralized when pinch-hitter Ian Happ smacked a two-run, pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the fourth.
David Phelps worked out of a two-out jam by striking out Harrison Bader to end the fifth.
Nico Hoerner, with less than two weeks of major league experience, rose to the occasion with a tiebreaking home run off Ryan Helsley to lead off the sixth.
The Cubs blew all of a 3-1 lead they built in the bottom of the first. Nicholas Castellanos hit his 58th double to become the first player to hit 58 in a season since Todd Helton of the Rockies hit 59 in 2000.
Before the game, Maddon thought any winning streak would be mounted from an offense that needed to be more patient, especially against Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson because of his cut fastball that darts late out of the strike zone.
