The Chicago Cubs surprised a lot of people with how they operated this offseason after acquiring star right fielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. Knowing

After four seasons ending in either abject failure or mediocrity, the Chicago Cubs are back in the playoffs. The Cubs recorded their 88th win Sept. 17, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 at PNC Park to become the second club from the National League Central to qualify for the playoffs.

Horton’s post-All-Star break performance has drawn comparisons to Jake Arrieta’s 2015 finish. There’s a major caveat: with Horton on a pitch limit, and Arrieta logging two complete games after the break that year, there’s a wide gap in innings.

For instance, if the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong hits a home run and Diamondbacks' star outfielder Corbin Carroll steals one base, MLB history will be made. As of Sunday, Jose Ramirez, Jazz Chisholm, and Juan Soto have all recorded 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases.

Kyle Tucker might only have one season in a Chicago Cubs uniform, but the right fielder still wanted to make an impact in the city.

L.A. has managed to keep the Padres at arm's length in the NL West, with a three-game lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker in tow. Barring a last-second collapse, they feel more or less locked into the No. 3 seed and home-field advantage in the Wild Card round.

This is The Athletic’s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. The Cubs are in! Plus: Ken has notes on the futures of the Cardinals and Kyle Schwarber, we give you the latest playoff picture,

The Cubs recently clinched their first playoff berth since 2020, but what scenarios will they want to avoid ahead of the postseason?

The Chicago Cubs are entering the final week of the regular season and gearing up for what they hope is a deep playoff run. As they try to tune some things up and put the finishing touches on the campaign before things get very real this October,