Chicago Cubs News: Cardinals eliminated from playoff contention

Not only did the Chicago Cubs clinch the NL Central division in St. Louis, they eliminated the Cardinals from contention. Not a bad final series for the Cubs in their rivals’ park.

The Chicago Cubs locked up a trip to the playoffs, and they’re already going on the road for the NLDS. So with a chance to rest some players, Joe Maddon took advantage of the situation. Putting out a glorified Triple-A team to try and keep the Cardinals out of the playoffs. It worked. Kyle Hendricks may have given himself a chance to be the Game 1 starter in the playoffs with another fine performance. And Ian Happ did what Happ does, homering to give the Cubs the early lead.

The Cardinals tied it up in the sixth inning, and the game went into extras. The three unlikeliest of heroes rose to the occasion for the Cubs. Jen-Ho Tseng pitched three innings in relief to get the victory. Taylor Davis roped a double down the left field line for just his second hit and gave the Cubs the 2-1 lead. And Leonys Martin made a game-saving grab, robbing Paul DeJong of a home run to seal the win–and officially eliminate the Cardinals from the playoffs.

Happ played a pivotal role in yesterday’s game, just as he has much of the season. The young hitter has his struggles, often time striking out several times per game as he finds his way at the plate. It’s been a familiar story for the Cubs with each of these young hitters dealing with some growing pains. But Happ is another in a line of players that may contribute to the Cubs for the foreseeable future.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Leap-off catch by Martin KO’s Cards’ –  MLB.com

‘Happ’s role moving forward’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Why is Freeman on the roster?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Netting, relocation of dugouts next for Wrigley’ – Cubbies Crib

’27 things that didn’t make sense in 2017′ – ESPN

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