The Cubs walked into Tuesday night with a playoff berth sitting within reach, but Wrigley Field will have to wait another day for a clinching celebration. Miami broke open a tense extra-inning game with six runs in the 12th and handed Chicago an 8-2 defeat.
| Club | 4th | 6th | 12th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlins | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Cubs | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Chicago fell to 87-70, but its route to the postseason remains straightforward: one Cubs victory or one Arizona loss will lock up a National League Wild Card place. The D-backs kept the race alive by beating Colorado on Tuesday.
The Cubs were tied with Philadelphia in the standings, while San Diego, at 87-69, held a half-game edge while awaiting the outcome of its late game against the Dodgers. Chicago owns the season-series tiebreaker against both the Phillies and Padres.
Imanaga gives Cubs a chance
Shota Imanaga worked five effective innings for Chicago. The left-hander allowed only an Agustín Ramírez RBI single in the fourth, and the Marlins did not do much else against the Cubs staff for a long while.
Aaron Civale surrendered Kyle Stowers’ solo homer in the sixth, the only other Miami run before the game reached the 12th. Chicago’s bullpen otherwise held the score in place for six innings after Imanaga departed.
That changed quickly in the 12th. The Marlins sent six runs across against left-hander Caleb Thielbar and right-hander Edward Cabrera, turning a close game into a long final walk back to the clubhouse.
Chicago cannot cash in late
Marlins starter Jansen Junk kept the Cubs scoreless across five innings. Chicago finally found room against Miami’s relief corps in the sixth, scoring twice on a rally that included Ian Happ’s run-scoring single.
But the Cubs could not build on it. From the seventh through the 11th, Chicago went 0-for-8 with runners aboard, leaving the game available for Miami to steal in the late innings.
The lineup was also without Alex Bregman, who continues to recover after being struck in the face by a foul ball on Sunday.
Crow-Armstrong inches toward 40-40 history
Pete Crow-Armstrong supplied one more small marker in his remarkable season. He drew a third-inning walk from Junk, then stole second base for his 39th steal.
With 45 home runs already on his ledger, Crow-Armstrong is one stolen base from becoming the seventh player in Major League history to post at least 40 homers and 40 steals in the same season. The Cubs did not get their champagne Tuesday, but their center fielder still gave them another reason to keep looking ahead.
