NL playoff picture set after Cardinals clinch NL Central
The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central after defeating the Chicago Cubs 9-0 on Sunday afternoon.
St. Louis will face the Atlanta Braves in one leg of the National League Division Series with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday at SunTrust Park.
The Milwaukee Brewers came up just short of the division crown, finishing two games behind St. Louis, and will play the Washington Nationals on Tuesday in the wild-card game. The winner of that contest will square off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the other NLDS.
St. Louis (91-71) returns to the postseason for the first time since 2015, which is also the last time the club won the division.
The Cardinals had lost four straight games entering Sunday's clincher before their bats erupted against Cubs left-hander Derek Holland, who surrendered seven runs on five hits and four walks over two innings. He was replaced by Duane Underwood Jr., but the reliever promptly allowed a home run to Matt Carpenter on the second pitch he threw.
Meanwhile, Jack Flaherty dominated for the Cardinals once again, allowing just two hits while striking out six over seven shutout innings.