PHILADELPHIA -- The Cubs have faced the Mets' powerful duo of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom and Braves ace Mike Foltynewicz in the past week. On Sunday afternoon, they had to deal with the Phillies' 15-game winner, Aaron Nola.
"You've got to beat good pitching to get to the promised land," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
It helps to have MVP candidate Javier Baez in the lineup. Baez, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rizzo each smacked solo home runs off Nola to lift the Cubs to an 8-1 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and improve to a season-high 26 games over .