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Jason Heyward boosted the Cubs' thirsty roster on Wednesday night just before clinching a playoff spot in the National League.
But even Heyward's heroines were not enough, as the Cubs' fins awarded four points to the eighth and ninth, which allowed the Pirates to qualify at 6-6.
The Cubs triumphed with a 7-6 win in 10 innings when Albert Almora Jr. hit a single with two outs to score scorer Terrance Gore.
The Pirates tied the match at the top of the ninth when Starling Marte hit a two-point double that went to first-baseman Anthony Rizzo to tie the game with southpaw Justin Wilson.
It was a tough run for Rizzo, whose attempt to catch a pop of Francisco Cervelli was denied by a fan sitting in the front row near the pirate canoe. Cervelli took advantage of the break by hitting a double that pushed Kevin Newman to third place, and both riders scored on Marte.
Heyward beat Ivan Nova with two points, including two in the bottom of the first, and he added an RBI single with two more in the fourth, while the Cubs had a 6-1 lead.
The Cubs earned their fourth consecutive playoff spot because of the Cardinals' loss to the Brewers.
But the Cubs, who were trying to retain the Brewers for the Central NL title, could not lead 6-2 after seven innings. Back Carl Edwards Jr. beat two batters in eighth and Elias Diaz hit a two-point single to reduce the lead of the Cubs to two.
The Cubs' win maintained their half-match lead in NL Central; their magic number to win the division is four.
Heyward, who has beaten for the fifth time this season, is 8-22 against Nova.
The Cubs raised their lead to 4-1 at third on a sacrifice volley from Anthony Rizzo and a walk from Kyle Schwarber loaded with bases.
The Cubs scored two points on four consecutive singles after two points in the fourth, capped by Heyward's shot.
The Cubs played without Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist. Bryant heals a bruise on his left wrist when he was hit by a Chris Archer throw on Tuesday. Zobrist has a life of 6 for 38 (0.158) against Ivan Nova.
"Bryant's wrist is painful but not as inflated as he thought," said manager Joe Maddon before the game. "So it will be with the coach (during the game) and will tell me what he is able to do, even if it is to do it. This can be useful. I know it later by walking near him.
Prior to Heyward, the Cubs scored five points in their last 56 innings in six games against the Pirates.
Jose Quintana gave a pass to Jose Osuna in the first and a circuit to Corey Dickerson in the first pitch of the fifth.
Twitter @MDGonzales
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