The Cubs clinched home-field for the NL wild-card, earning October baseball at Wrigley with a 7-3 win that secured 91 wins and set up a first-round meeting with San Diego. Michael Busch went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and a triple to spark the offense, while Jameson Taillon worked six innings of one-run ball. Cade Horton’s rib fracture reshapes the rotation as Chicago heads into the series with a confident, playoff-ready vibe. Pete Crow-Armstrong added insurance with an eighth-inning homer as Cubs fans poured out of a packed ballpark.

Milwaukee tumbled 7-1 to St. Louis as Jacob Misiorowski battled through four innings and the bullpen could not restrain the Cardinals’ attack. Frelick homered to draw Milwaukee within one, but a five-run fifth—highlighted by Nolan Arenado’s bases-clearing double—pushed the game out of reach. The Brewers went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position despite 12 hits, while Sonny Gray shut them down over six dominant innings. The Cubs’ loss that night trimmed Milwaukee’s magic number to three, and the next tilt is set for 6:15 p.m. with Chad Patrick vs. Miles Mikolas.