The Chicago Cubs save the series with a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks and are still in control of their postseason fate – Twin Cities

Just when the Chicago Cubs seemed on the verge of having their postseason ambitions wavered, they come through.

That’s what good teams do, and the Cubs have shown they have a knack for getting through a few tough games, hanging on, and maintaining their spot in the playoffs. They bounced back from two walk-off losses last weekend in Cincinnati to win the series finale, leading to a victory over the San Francisco Giants and beyond lost three games in a row Against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cubs took care of business with a 5-2 victory on Sunday.

“I feel like we’ve been working really hard the last couple days and we just don’t really have anything to show for it,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “Again, it’s just one of the things we need to do to stay on track and continue to prepare, go out there and of course compete.”

Three solo homers in the third inning – Christopher Morel and back-to-back homers from Cody Bellinger and Swanson – helped the Cubs (77-67) take a 4-0 lead in a bullpen game for Arizona.

The win gave the Cubs a two-game lead over the Diamondbacks and secured the second wild card spot in the National League. It also still gives them a chance to clinch the season’s head-to-head tiebreaker if the Cubs beat them in Arizona next weekend.

Over the last 17 games, the Cubs’ rotation had the lowest ERA in the majors (2.14).

“When two teams with similar records compete, it’s going to be tough and the little details here and there will push it the other way,” manager David Ross said. “This group has overcome many adversities and overcome many challenges. There have been a lot of stories about them, and all they do is continue to go out and play baseball really hard and put up Ws.”

Sunday’s win epitomized the all-around play the Cubs have brought to this point, led by their pitching staff and defense. Kyle Hendricks held Arizona to two runs in 5 2/3 innings and started the game by retiring 10 of the first 11 batters he faced.

Ian Happ’s defense in left field during the fifth kept Arizona from getting back into the game. With two runners and no one out and one race already in, Happ made a sliding pop-up closure and fired the ball to second base to catch Emmanuel Rivera off the bag for a double play.

“I have to remind some of these guys that they’ve never seen me play in the big leagues. “I’ve done it, not only second, third, but also first a couple of times for (Anthony Rizzo), you know?” Happ said with a grin. “You don’t lose that, some of those little things you’ve done your whole life. So it’s nice to be able to show it off a little bit.”

Hendricks came out one batter later and ended the inning with a Corbin Carroll pop out.

“That was a big inning-ender for their swing,” Ross said.

Everything the Cubs want to accomplish is in front of them. Three games at Coors Field, preceded by the rookie road trip dress-up traditionand three final games against the Diamondbacks prepared the Cubs for their final home game.

“We control our own destiny,” Happ said. “We played really good baseball for a long time. We had to lose a series at some point. Four-game sets are tough. They are a good team. They pitched really well. We hit some balls hard and didn’t have much luck, but winning today was great.”

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