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Different ballgame now for Chicago Cubs at St. Louis

ST. LOUIS - Cubs manager Joe Maddon would not concede to this being a "statement" game.

"There's Monday," Maddon said after his team completed a 9-0 Labor Day rout of the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. "I loved the fact that we played well here."

Yes, the Cubs made a statement at this ballpark, which has been a house of horrors for them, certainly in the past, but this season as well.

Before Monday, the Cubs were 1-6 against the Cardinals down by the Gateway Arch in 2015. As recently as late June, the Cardinals swept the Cubs in three at Busch to send the Cubs 11½ games behind them in the National League Central and to a record of 39-35.

Things are different now.

Yes, the Cardinals still hold first place in the Central. Their lead is 5½ games over second-place Pittsburgh and 7½ over the surging Cubs, who have won four in a row to get within 2 of the Pirates for the second wild-card spot.

"My point is that we have to play well in this venue," said Maddon, whose team is 79-57. "If you can become more comfortable in the venue and then you play your normal game there and then you can compete with this team. I thought we played well today."

It's not so crazy to think the Cubs can win the division, even though they're running out of time and have two teams to pass.

"You've got to get the team in front of you first before you can really focus on the next one," Maddon said. "Of course, I've said from the beginning that our objective is to win the division. Let's just play tomorrow like we played today.

"I thought we came out ready to play, another day game after three straight ones. It was hot, it was really hot. I was really impressed with our ability to get after it today."

The Cubs are a different team from the one even in late June. Young players such as Addison Russell and Kris Bryant continue to mature, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo has put his name into the MVP mix.

"I think our team's entirely different," Maddon said. "We're playing with a lot more confidence. We believe a lot more that we can do this now. It's one thing to think you can, another thing to believe that you can, and I think we're at the point where we believe we can do this."

The Cubs got a huge lift from the 21-year-old Russell, who hit a 3-run homer in a 5-run third inning, when they chased Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn. The Cubs jumped on Lynn from the get-go, with Dexter Fowler homering to start the game and the Cubs adding a pair in the second.

For Russell. It was his 13th homer of the season.

"It's huge," he said. "It's definitely a confidence booster. I'm seeing the ball well, barreling balls up. Things are going good."

The Cubs got their best start of the season from veteran Dan Haren, whom they acquired from the Miami Marlins on July 31. Haren turned in his first quality start as a Cub, going 7 shutout innings and giving up 7 hits.

"I didn't know that we had struggled here," Haren said. "Everyone's struggled against the Cardinals this year. They're the best team, record wise.

"On a trip like this, a long trip, 11 games, it's really important to start off well. We more than exceeded that today. Hopefully we can keep it rolling. We've got a lot of big games left to play.

"From the way the guys seem to be, I don't know if anyone's really settled on just settling for the second wild card. Guys seem to want to push for more. And it's nice to contribute to that on my front."

• Follow Bruce's baseball reports on Twitter @BruceMiles2112.

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