Busch leads Cubs to home-field clincher
The Cubs finally made it official. With Saturday's 7-3 victory over St. Louis, they will host the NL wild-card playoff series against San Diego, beginning Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
The obvious next step is to bring in Rick Sutcliffe, Gary Matthews, Bob Dernier and whoever else to get the current team fired up about avenging the last time these teams met in the playoffs in 1984.
“Certainly getting it done today was important,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Why is it important? To me, it's mostly about the people that support us for 81 games being able to see us play again. That's really important and that's really special.”
The Cubs offense continued to show promising signs. Michael Busch was the hitting star in this one, belting a home run on the first pitch of the first inning. He became the first player in modern Cubs history to have two home runs, a double and triple in a game. He's also hit 9 home runs against the Cardinals this season.
When Busch came to bat in the bottom of the eighth, needing a single for the cycle, he was intentionally walked, drawing a loud chorus of boos from the home fans.
“Selfishly, I wanted the at-bat, but there's nothing better than the victory itself,” Busch said. “I get it. They're trying to win, we're trying to win. Game wasn't over. The fans (cheering while) coming up to the plate was pretty cool.”
Busch is up to 34 home runs on the season. Seiya Suzuki hit his fourth home run in three days and has 31 on the season. Pete Crow-Armstrong added insurance with his 31st homer, which bounced off the right-field video board.
While the Cubs got the disappointing news about pitcher Cade Horton going on the 15-day injured list with a right rib fracture, Jameson Taillon stayed sharp. He allowed just 1 run and 3 hits over 6 innings, with a season-high 8 strikeouts. He's now in position where he could get the call to start a potential Game 3 of the wild card on Thursday.
“I haven't been told anything, but I'm definitely going to be prepared for anything,” Taillon said. “I don't know what the exact role will be or what will be asked, but I'll make sure I'm ready for it.”
The Cubs and Padres played all six of their regular season games in April, with the Cubs taking two of three at home.
The Cubs are 49-31 at Wrigley Field this season, with one left to play, while San Diego is 38-43 on the road.
“Wrigley's definitely, I think, one of the best home-field advantages in sports,” Taillon said. “We've played really well at home this year. I think the fans are a big part of that. I think the day games are a big part of that. I think learning the conditions and embracing the wind and the sun and all that.”