Cubs go into All-Star break on high note, jockeying for position in crowded NL Wild Card race

ST. LOUIS – The last game before the All-Star break is unique. No other game has the power to set a lingering taste for four straight off days before the regular season resumes.

And for a team hovering on the line between adding or subtracting at the trade deadline, the importance of the Cubs’ series finale against the Cardinals seemed to balloon after they dropped both games of a Saturday doubleheader.

That’s not how the players, who have a superhuman ability to compartmentalize, would look at it. And front office members have practice reeling in the emotions of following an up-and-down season to make calculated team-building decisions.

For those evaluating from an outside perspective, however, Sunday’s game had the power to flip the narrative of the Cubs’ last road trip before the Midsummer Classic – and the unofficial first half by extension.

Then the Cubs hit six home runs, tied for the most at Busch Stadium by an opponent, and played standout defense en route to an 8-3 win Sunday against the Cardinals.

“There's a lot of momentum in this game both ways,” said Ian Happ, who hit one of those homers on a 2-for-4 day . “When you can be on the right side, but especially going into a break, coming back [from the break] at home, probably your best road trip all year, those things all add up.”

That's not to say that the Cubs are guaranteed to add at the deadline. But even after playing poorly for two months, the Cubs (47-51) enter the All-Star break just 3 ½ games back of the last National League Wild Card spot.

“We had a tough road trip in front of us seven days ago,” manager Craig Counsell said. And we played really well on the road trip. … We're going into [the All-Star break] in the way we wanted to go into it. We finished the job today.”

With the win, they bounced back to split the series with the Cardinals and salvage a strong 5-2 record on the road trip, thanks to a series sweep against the AL East-leading Orioles.

“I feel like we can play with anybody,” said starter Jameson Taillon, who limited the Cardinals to three runs in 5 ⅔ innings. “And it's one thing to say it, and it's another to go out and do it and show that we can go into Baltimore in their place and play really well, play a complete game like today. … It's a message to ourselves: we really can play with anybody, and now we have the second half to go out and do it.”

The Cubs “complete” performance on Sunday included a strong start, an impressive defensive showing, and contributions from all parts of the lineup.

While the rotation has been steady all first half – ranked in the Top 10 in MLB – the defense has had some sloppy showings, and the offense has been unreliable for much of the season so far.

As the Cubs have come out of their May-June rut, the change has been powered by the consistency of the No. 2-4 hitters in the batting order: Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki and Happ.

That in turn has taken pressure off the bullpen, which has thrived in response.

More recently, contributions from the bottom of the order have brought out an even better version of the offense.

“I think it's mandatory,” Counsell said before the game. “We're not going to be a good offense unless we get production in all the spots in the lineup. … It's going to be really important for the second half that, that group contributes. And that's how we're going to put up consistent run totals every night.”

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who hit No. 9 Sunday, provided a perfect example in what Counsell called “his best day in the big-leagues.”

In addition to two nice plays in the field, Crow-Armstrong golfed out two inside breaking balls for the first multi-homer game of his career. His second long ball came immediately after a solo home run from No. 8 hitter Tomás Nido.

“I think we've been trending in the right direction for a long time,” Crow-Armstrong said, “but it's fun when stuff starts coming together.”