BOX SCORE

PITTSBURGH — The Chicago Cubs landed in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, hoping to depart on Wednesday with a playoff berth in hand.

They started that quest perfectly.

The Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 on Monday night at PNC Park. The win reduces their magic number to clinch a postseason spot to three games. The San Francisco Giants, who were the first team out of the playoff picture when play began on Monday, play on the West Coast against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

[MORE: Injury updates on key Cubs, including Kyle Tucker an Daniel Palencia]

The Cubs (86-64) also move to four games above the San Diego Padres for the top spot in the NL Wild Card. The magic number to clinch that spot reduced to nine games. The Padres are off on Monday and open a three-game set at the New York Mets – the last team in the playoff picture right now – on Tuesday.

The victory reduces the deficit in the NL Central to five games, although the Milwaukee Brewers’ magic number is 10 with 12 games to play.

Here are three takeaways from the win over the Pirates (65-86):

Pete’s Power

Pete Crow-Armstrong took the baseball world by storm over the first four months with his combination of power, speed and elite defense. Since August, though, that first trait has been lacking.

Crow-Armstrong entered Monday with just one home run, five doubles and nine RBI since Aug. 1. He was slashing .162/.228/.223 (.451 OPS) in that span.

That’s what made Monday’s output so eye-catching. The center fielder hit a sixth-inning solo home run (his first long ball since Aug. 22) and hit a fourth-inning double, finishing the day 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. He added a steal of third base in that fourth inning.

It was the type of performance that was reminiscent of the player who was voted as the starting center fielder for the NL team in the All-Star Game. And, if he can continue it, it’s a welcome sign for the Cubs with the playoffs two weeks away from starting.

[MORE: Cubs’ Kyle Tucker honored by Roberto Clemente Award nomination]

The Cubs’ once high-powered offense has hit a bit of an outage since the Midsummer Classic. And the collective struggles of Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki are big factors in that.

With Tucker’s immediate status uncertain because of his left calf strain and Suzuki out the last four games due to illness, the performance of Busch and Crow-Armstrong is heightened.

Crow-Armstrong’s power returning is a welcome sign.

Taillon’s gem

Jameson Taillon is a bit of a wild card for the final two weeks of the season – pun intended.

The Cubs’ top two starters for the potential three-game Wild Card have clearly emerged as Shota Imanaga and Cade Horton, and the debate for who takes the ball in Game 1 is a valid and fun one. Matthew Boyd, the Cubs’ most consistent starter all year, seems destined to be the No. 3 starter in this exercise.

So where does that leave Taillon?  

Well, after Monday’s outing, it’s certainly fair to wonder if he could be in the conversation as a starter in a Game 3. He tossed six shutout innings against the Pirates and allowed just four base runners – on a pair of walks and two hits. But it was the way he pitched that made it appealing.

After allowing a two-out single in the first, Taillon retired 15 of the next 16 hitters he faced, stymying the Pirates lineup and keeping them out of the game.

There are still potentially two more outings for Taillon before the year ends, and a lot can change between now and then. But if he keeps this up, it’s an interesting conundrum the Cubs face – and a good one, truth be told.

Soroka’s return

Speaking of interesting playoff arms, throw Michael Soroka’s name on that list.

The right-hander returned from the 15-day IL on Monday and pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. His fastball topped out at 96.9 mph, an over 5-mph increase from his debut (and only appearance) with the Cubs on Aug. 4. He landed on the IL with a shoulder injury after tossing just two innings, a major blow for the Cubs’ premier trade deadline acquisition.

But Soroka could still be an impact arm down the stretch and in the playoffs. He was activated before Monday’s game, with Ben Brown optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Soroka pitched 16 games in relief last season with the White Sox, posting a 2.35 ERA in 36 innings with 60 strikeouts.

That’s an intriguing multi-inning weapon in Craig Counsell’s bullpen down the stretch. The outing wasn’t perfect – nor would you expect it to be in someone’s first time on a big-league mound in over a month – but it’s more about the final two weeks’ worth of outings for Soroka and not just Monday’s performance.

In a three-game Wild Card series with no days off, having a high-strikeout pitcher who can gobble up innings could be an X-factor.