Cubs Lose! Tie For Wild Card

Moments after another heartbreaking loss for the Chicago Cubs, they won a reprieve.

Two hesitant Chicago defensive plays, including one by Sammy Sosa, allowed the Houston Astros to rally for a 4-3 victory in 11 innings Sunday.

But the Cubs remained alive in the NL wild-card race when San Francisco lost to Colorado 9-8. The Cubs and Giants will meet in a one-game playoff Monday night at Wrigley Field, with the winner earning the wild-card berth against the Atlanta Braves.

The New York Mets were eliminated by losing at Atlanta.

The Cubs were heading for the clubhouse following their defeat, heads hanging, when they learned the Giants had lost.

"I'm halfway up the stairs coming to the clubhouse, and people were in here celebrating," closer Rod Beck said. "I knew it wasn't because we did good. People were jumping up and down shouting, 'There's a tomorrow! There's a tomorrow!'"

erry Mulholland bent but didn't break in the Cubs' critical loss to the Astros. (AP)

The long-suffering Cubs would have clinched their first playoff berth since 1989 with a victory. But Houston's Carl Everett tripled leading off the 11th when a retreating Sosa shied away from the ball as he reached the warning track, and Richard Hidalgo's sacrifice fly gave the Astros the win.

The Giants and Cubs will meet in the NL's first one-game playoff since 1980, when Houston beat Los Angeles to win the West. In 1995, Seattle defeated the Angels in a one-game playoff for the AL West title.

"This has been a wild season for the Cubs," shortstop Jeff Blauser said. "Maybe somebody is looking out for us."

It didn't appear that way when Houston made the score 3-all in the eighth with two runs. The Astros scored the tying run when Blauser made a wild throw home from shallow left field, allowing Jeff Bagwell to score from first on Sean Berry's single.

Chicago also fumbled a game away Wednesday in Milwaukee, when Brant Brown dropped a routine fly with two out in the ninth that allowed the Brewers to score three runs for the victory.

While the drama built in the playoff race, there was no split-screen finish in the home-run chase. Sosa remained at 66, while Mark McGwire hit two in his final game Sunday at St. Louis to finish with 70.

Sosa singled for his 158th RBI, fourth-best in NL history. He also struck out, flied out twice and singled in the eighth, finishing 2-for-5.

Scott Elarton (2-1) pitched two perfect innings. Beck (3-4) went the final 2 2-3 innings -- his longest outing of the season -- but said he'll be available Monday. Steve Trachsel (14-8) will start for Chicago.

"There won't be any more scoreboard watching," Beck said. "Now it's up to us what we do."

Sunday's game was merely a tuneup for the Astros, who won for the 27th time in their final at-bat. Randy Johnson will take the mound for the NL Central champions when they face San Diego beginning Tuesday at Houston in the first round of the playoffs.

Chicago lost despite scoring three unearned runs. Bagwell tied the game in the eighth when he came around on Berry's single, which dropped among three Cubs. Blauser caught the ball on one hop but made a wild throw home.

The inning started with a double by Hidalgo, who came home on Bagwell's single.

An error by second baseman Craig Biggio helped Chicago in the fourth. After Mickey Morandini walked with two out, Scott Servais hit a grounder to short, but Biggio dropped the throw for the forceout, prolonging the inning.

Pitcher Terry Mulholland, a .267 hitter, then lined a two-run double just beyond the reach of Hidalgo in center.

Sosa put Chicago on the board with an unearned run in the first. Jose Hernandez reached on an error by shortstop Ricky Gutierrez, took third on Mark Grace's double and scored on Sosa's single.

Houston made it 1-all in the third on singles by Gutierrez, Brad Ausmus and Hidalgo.

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