Although the offense has cooled, the first-place Cubs gained ground in the NL Central during a challenging part of the schedule.

With the best vantage point in the house, Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson pumped his fist in the air as second baseman Nico Hoerner shuffled up from the infield dirt. Hoerner had just made a diving snag of a liner off the bat of Isiah Kiner-Falefa,

Pete Crow-Armstrong went yard for the 18th time this season and Seiya Suzuki hit his 17th of the campaign as the Cubs squeaked past the Bucs 3-2 Thursday night. Jamieson Taillon earned his seventh win of the season for the Cubs.

There has been a common theme in the Chicago Cubs' recent losses: an inability to produce with runners on base. It's something the Cubs will look to rectify on Saturday when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third matchup of a four-game set.

Craig Counsell's team led the National League Central by four games over the St. Louis Cardinals and five games over the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of Tuesday night's matchup, which picked up buzz as the Nationals made the choice to release one of their most accomplished pitchers.

The Detroit Tigers couldn't keep the ball in the park Saturday, allowing five home runs to the Chicago Cubs in a 6-1 loss.