Chicago Cubs Stun Cardinals with Thrilling 9th-Inning Rally — Must-See Highlights

CHICAGO – A week of late-inning drama has vaulted the Chicago Cubs back into the National League Central conversation, and Friday night’s 5-4 walk-off win over the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field felt like a turning point for Craig Counsell’s club. The victory pushed Chicago to 34-31, trimming the division gap to 2.5 games and nudging the team’s playoff odds above 53 percent, according to Baseball-Reference projections. Key takeaways from the Cubs’ surge: 1. Wrigley magic is back • Chicago has won six of its last seven home games, punctuated by back-to-back walk-offs against Arizona and San Francisco this week. • Leadoff catalyst Pete Crow-Armstrong owns a .431 OBP during the stretch, while rookie slugger Matt Shaw has driven in eight runs and raised his OPS to .857. 2. Rotation help on the way • With right-hander Edward Cabrera (stress fracture) sidelined until late June, Chicago bolstered its pitching depth by signing veteran left-hander Ty Blach to a minor-league deal May 27; he is expected to join Triple-A Iowa’s rotation this weekend and could be an emergency option by mid-month. • Top prospect Jaxon Wiggins struck out 10 over six shutout innings for Double-A Tennessee on Thursday, putting him on the shortlist for a second-half call-up. 3. Offensive identity taking shape • The Cubs entered June ranking 11th in MLB in runs, but Counsell’s recent lineup tweaks—slotting Nico Hoerner second and platooning left-field at-bats—have sparked a 5.7-runs-per-game clip since May 29. • Chicago is 22-5 this season when scoring at least five runs. 4. What’s next • The Cubs and Giants wrap their three-game set on Sunday before a pivotal six-game road trip to Milwaukee and St. Louis. Chicago is 7-3 against NL Central foes since May 15. • Front-office executives continue to monitor the trade market for controllable late-inning relief; league sources indicate conversations with Oakland about right-hander Mason Miller have resumed. Bottom line The Chicago Cubs have rediscovered their resilience at exactly the right time. If the bats stay hot and the Cabrera-Blach rotation patch holds, Wrigleyville could be buzzing deep into the summer—and “Cubs playoff tickets” might soon become the Windy City’s most-searched phrase.