CHICAGO – As the baseball skipped away from Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, Pete Crow-Armstrong easily advanced from second to third base, slowing up as he approached the bag. The Cubs center fielder kept his eye on the plate and saw an opening with reliever Clay Holmes still several steps from home.

Crow-Armstrong turned on the burners and sprinted in, sliding across the plate and popping to his feet to roar along with the Wrigley Field crowd. In a 10-3 romp over the Mets, his fifth-inning scramble was a snapshot into the Cubs’ desire to swiftly turn the page on their recent slide and get closer to wrapping up home-field advantage in the playoffs’ Wild Card round.

As things currently stand, the Cubs hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Padres for the National League’s top Wild Card slot

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