Cubs have 1 huge reason to feel confident heading into a do-or-die Game 5

The cherry on top of the sundae for the Chicago Cubs in their 6-0 shutout win over the Milwauke Brewers Thursday night came in the form of an opposite-field solo home run off the bat of All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker.

On a night where everything went right for the home team, Tucker followed up his 2-for-3 showing in Game 3 with another two-hit effort that included that home run, a pair of walks and two runs scored. After a quiet showing in the Wild Card Round against the San Diego Padres, the free agent-to-be has come roaring to life in the NLDS, slashing .333/.529/.583 in 17 plate appearances.

Kyle Tucker is a transformative presence for the Cubs' offense

And, as we learned early in the year, when Tucker is doing good things, the Cubs look like a completely different team offensively - good news for a club that scored more than four runs in a playoff game for the first time since 2017 on Thursday.

With Dexter Fowler on hand Thursday to sing the seventh-inning stretch, I couldn't help but think back to 2016 and the 'you go, we go' mantra that surrounded the Cubs outfielder. The same thing can be said of Tucker, who has been the sparkplug for the Chicago offense - the numbers make it clear just how impactful he is.

• Tucker in Cubs wins: .315/.421/.572
• Tucker in Cubs losses: .197/.314/.313

Heading into their fourth elimination game of the playoffs on Saturday, the Cubs will look to defy the odds and punch their ticket to the NLCS, where the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers await. If they manage to end the season of their division rivals this weekend, odds are Tucker will be a big part of why. He's hitting his stride at the perfect time and if he stays hot, we could be watching more Cubs playoff baseball at Wrigley Field this time next week.