CHICAGO — Matthew Boyd and the Cubs both needed “get-right” games.

Let’s be honest: The entire Cubs fanbase did, too.

Facing a New York Mets team headlined by Juan Soto and Pete Alonso was always going to be a tough task, especially when the NL East contender is fighting for its playoff life in a suddenly thrilling Wild Card race.

But Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field turned into the type of game where Boyd and the Cubs (and again, the fans!) could breathe a sigh of relief — a deep sigh of relief.

The Cubs got back to their winning ways, snapping a season-high five-game losing streak en route to a 10-3 victory over the Mets.

And what’s more: The San Diego Padres lost to the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in the day. That means the Cubs’ magic number to clinch the top NL Wild Card spot — and homefield advantage for the first-round series — dropped to two.

Any Cubs win or Padres loss over the final four days of the season will reduce that magic number.

Here are three things we learned Wednesday at Wrigley:

Night night

We haven’t seen Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s signature passion on display much recently as the star center fielder continues to find a way to regain his footing offensively.

That fire and intensity was back Wednesday night — even if Crow-Armstrong didn’t have a breakout game offensively.

Crow-Armstrong didn’t have a hit in the win over the Mets, but he did impact the game in other ways.

He drove in a run during the Cubs’ five-run, outburst in the third inning with a sacrifice fly. Then he helped plate a pair of insurance runs in the fifth by pressuring the Mets defense.

Crow-Armstrong drove in Moisés Ballesteros by hustling out a groundball to third base, forcing an errant throw that landed in the photo well, awarding him an extra base. He then motored around to score from second base on a wild pitch when Mets pitcher Clay Holmes forgot to cover the plate:

Crow-Armstrong can still help the Cubs win in so many ways — notably with his speed and defense. But if he can get back to the level he was at in the first half offensively, it could be a real game-changer for this team in the playoffs.

Bounceback Boyd

The 34-year-old was the Cubs’ saving grace for the first four months of the season, helping to weather the storm of injuries to co-aces Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga.

But Boyd has not been the same pitcher over the last two months.

He entered play Wednesday with a 5.77 ERA in his last eight starts and was just tagged for four runs in each of his last two outings.

With Cade Horton‘s ascension, he has moved to the forefront as the Cubs’ likely Game 1 starter (if healthy). Boyd’s struggles have brought about a very real dilemma on who to start in Game 2 — or even how reliable he might be in a playoff rotation.

But Wednesday was a huge step in the right direction for Boyd, as he allowed two runs in 5.1 strong innings.

He essentially made only one mistake on the evening — a two-run shot by Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez.

Other than that, Boyd gave up only a walk and a single.

On the season, he finished with a 14-8 record and 3.21 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.

Bally’s ballin’

Ballesteros is on the playoff roster.

OK, maybe not officially. But he sure looks like he’s trending toward a lock for a spot on the 26-man October roster.

The rookie DH collected two more hits Wednesday night, drew a walk, scored two runs and drove in a run. He is now slashing .286/.397/.469 (.866 OPS) on the year and has become a bonafide weapon in the middle of the Cubs order against right-handed starting pitchers.

There is a lot to sort through with the DH spot for the Cubs in the postseason, as Kyle Tucker is slated to return from the IL this weekend. But Ballesteros has certainly played his way into the discussion for not only a roster spot, but a meaningful role in the postseason lineup.