PHOENIX –  The National League Wild Card race has remained tight, heightening the stakes for the Cubs in Arizona this weekend. 

The Cubs lost 7-6 in a 13-inning game Saturday.

The Diamondbacks had already claimed the tiebreaker in the series opener Friday. As their records currently stand, that doesn’t mean all that much. The Cubs are in the second National League Wild Card spot. But of the four teams chasing them – the Diamondbacks, Reds, Marlins and Giants – the Cubs only own the tiebreaker against San Francisco. 

To make sure those season-series losses don’t come back to hurt them, the Cubs would do well to put distance between themselves and the rest of the pack over the course of the next week. 

A back-and-forth game Saturday highlighted the small margins between the two teams as they battle down the stretch. 

In the fourth inning, the Diamondbacks broke the scoreless tie against Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. With one out, Tommy Pham hit a fly ball to center field, out of Mike Tauchman’s reach. Tauchman scrambled after the bounce and made a looping throw to the infield, allowing Pham to reach third. 

Next, Christian Walker drove a sinker to the warning track. Tauchman dove after it, but it bounced over the wall for an automatic RBI double. With two outs, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. dropped an RBI single into shallow center field. The Diamondbacks took a 2-0 lead.

As soon as the Cubs got back on offense, they responded. They loaded the bases with Yan Gomes’ double off the wall, Nick Madrigal’s infield single and Ian Happ’s walk. The Diamondbacks made a pitching change, replacing starter Zach Davies with right-hander Luis Frias. 

Hoerner drew a walk to push the Cubs’ first run of the game across the plate. Then, Christopher Morel grounded into a double play, but Madrigal scored the tying run. Up next, Cody Bellinger fouled off two fastballs and a cutter before driving a 1-2 slider through the right side of the infield to put the Cubs ahead by a run. 

Their lead didn’t last long. In the sixth, three straight Diamondbacks singles brought in another run to tie the game again and spell the end of Hendricks’ night one out into the sixth inning. He’d surrendered three runs on seven hits. 

The Cubs rotation has been doing some heavy lifting lately. Entering Saturday, they had the third-best ERA since Aug. 24 in MLB. And the bullpen is navigating the absence of two high-leverage relievers. Veteran Michael Fulmer and closer Adbert Alzolay are on the 15-day IL with strained right forearms. 

The Cubs bullpen, shorthanded as it was, locked down the rest of regulation.

In the top of the 10th, Nico Hoerner served as the extra-innings runner on second. Christopher Morel reached first on an infield single.

Then, with Cody Bellinger at the plate, the Cubs put on a double steal. Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno threw to third, but Horner slid in safe head first, and the ball got away from third baseman Jace Peterson. Hoerner raced home to give the Cubs a 4-3 lead.

Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman, who returned from the IL Friday to pitch out of the bullpen for the first time since his rookie season, took the mound for the Cubs in the 10th for the first back-to-back in his MLB career. He gave up a game-tying single to Corbin Carroll to lead off the inning. But he retired the next three batters.

The Cubs took the lead again in the top of the 11th inning, with one single after another from Happ and Hoerner.

Then, it was lefty Drew Smyly’s turn on the mound. He fielded Alek Thomas’ sacrifice bunt cleanly, looked to third and may have time to throw out pinch runner Jake McCarthy, but decided on the sure out instead. That gave Gurriel the chance to drive in McCarthy on a short line drive single.

Smyly induced the next batter, Emmanuel Rivera, to ground into a double play. Swanson flipped the ball out of his glove to Hoerner, who barehanded the catch and fired to first. On to the 12th inning.

The Cubs failed to score in the top of the 12th. Then, the Diamondbacks loaded the bases against Smyly. But he got Pham to ground out to escape unscathed.

In the 13th, Happ hit a sharp ground ball to first base, and Patrick Wisdom, who reached on a line drive single, was doubled up. But Gomes scored on the play to give the Cubs a 6-5 lead.

Smyly came in for one more out, bringing his total to 2 ¹⁄₃ innings. Then, Hayden Wesneski took over with a runner on third in the 13th inning. He induced Jordan Lawlar to pop out and a comebacker from Rivera. But Rivera’s line drive bounced off Wesneski’s right shoulder, scoring a game-tying run.

Next, Moreno hit a single into right field. Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki threw home, but Gomes just missed Evan Longoria with the tag.