A dropped ball, then nothing else
Dansby Swanson fired a bad throw in the fifth inning. The kind of mistake that sticks with you all night.
It cost a run. Cincinnati pulled back to 2-1, then levelled it moments later on a two-out single from Ke’Bryan Hayes. On Saturday night in Ohio, the Cubs had just thrown away their lead.
Swanson put it right himself. Solo homer in the ninth, his 19th of the season, to seal a 5-2 win. Before that, Michael Busch had put Chicago back in front in the sixth with his 20th home run of the year.
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The wild card has changed hands
The result means more than a routine September win. At 86-69, Chicago moved a full game ahead of Philadelphia for the top National League wild card spot. The Phillies had fallen 10-3 to the Mets earlier in the day.
San Diego was tied with both clubs heading into the day and played later. Nothing is settled yet. But for once, the Cubs did not need anyone else to do the job for them.
Cincinnati (72-83) have little left to play for. The two teams meet again on Sunday in the series decider.
Boyd gave Chicago exactly what it needed
Matthew Boyd (9-5) did not hang around on the mound. Five innings, two hits, two runs, only one earned, two walks, four strikeouts and 71 pitches. The left-hander had retired 11 straight before slipping in the fifth, issuing a walk to Eugenio Suarez.
Ryan Rolison shut it down for his third save.
At the other end, Nick Lodolo (3-6) turned in a decent outing: seven innings, seven hits, three runs. Not enough. Chicago struck first in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from Matt Shaw after a double by Nico Hoerner. Hoerner added the insurance run in the eighth with a single that slipped past shortstop. The little things, again.
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