PITTSBURGH —

Jameson Taillon allowed two hits in six innings, and Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong homered as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 on Monday night and got closer to clinching a postseason berth.

Chicago (86-64) opened a four-game lead over San Diego for the top NL wild card and trails NL Central-leading Milwaukee by five games with 12 games remaining. The Cubs won for the fifth time in six games and sent the Pirates to their ninth loss in 10 games. Advertisement

Taillon (10-6) struck out three and walked two, retiring 15 of 16 batters during a stretch from the first until the sixth. He is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA since returning Aug. 18 from a strained left groin.

Michael Soroka, Porter Hodge, and Brad Keller finished a three-hitter, the Cubs’ 14th shutout,

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