Cubs beat Marlins 6-1, hold 5.5-game wild card cushion
The Cubs beat the Marlins 6-1 in Miami on September 4 behind Shota Imanaga, pushing to 80-62 with a 5.5-game cushion for a wild card spot as the NL Central race slips away.
Imanaga and Busch push the record to 80-62
The Cubs beat the Marlins 6-1 in Miami on September 4 to move to 80-62. Shota Imanaga went 6.0 innings and allowed 3 hits, 1 earned run, no walks and struck out 4, and Aaron Civale followed with 3.0 innings of 1-hit relief, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.
Marlins6-1Michael Busch went 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI, and Nico Hoerner drove in a run while going 3-for-4. The club's own account tipped its cap to the starter afterward: 'we see you, shota.'
The win capped a 3-2 stretch over the last 5 games for Chicago, a run that included a 17-3 win and back-to-back losses to Milwaukee before Kevin Gausman and Pete Crow-Armstrong closed out that series 2-1 on September 3.
Buried in the Central, the Cubs lean on the wild card
The Brewers' visit to Wrigley Field ended the way it started: Adam McCalvy of MLB.com noted Milwaukee arrived with an 8-game lead over the Cubs with 25 to play and left with an 8-game lead with 21 to play. The division is effectively decided, which makes the Wild Card the Cubs' path.
There, Chicago is in better shape. At 80-62, the Cubs sit 5.5 games clear with an elimination number of 13, and Philadelphia is the closest pursuer at 79-62 with an elimination number of 17. Miami, the team the Cubs just beat, sits 3 wins back at 71-71 with an elimination number of 8 — one of the clubs still trying to run them down for the spot.
Upcoming
The Cubs are in Miami this afternoon, with Javier Assad (6-1, 3.46 ERA) opposing Ryan Gusto (1-3, 3.86 ERA). Assad's last outing came August 4 against the Dodgers, when he went 5.2 innings with 1 earned run, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks and 4 hits over 88 pitches and did not factor in the decision. Gusto last started August 31 versus Washington, working 4.1 innings with 1 earned run, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks and 4 hits on 69 pitches, also a no-decision.
Chicago is favored, and the market reads the total as middling — fitting for two starters who've both limited hard contact and hits in their recent starts without racking up length. For the number to hold, it likely takes another short-to-moderate final line from both arms rather than either bullpen getting stress-tested early.