Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals

The players inside the Cubs’ clubhouse began their day Monday by learning that starter Jameson Taillon -- a well-respected veteran and leader -- had been designated for assignment. It was the latest unexpected turn for a Chicago team that has weathered plenty of storms this season. Through all the peaks and valleys, the Cubs have continued to pick up wins to remain in the thick of the National League playoff picture. That held true on Monday night, as the North Siders pieced together a 7-3 victory over the rival Cardinals at Busch Stadium behind a solid start from David Peterson and a four-hit game apiece from Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner. “Look, I think we have shown that we can play at a high level,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “The best thing about a Major League season is you can’t fake your record, man, over 162 games. It’s too many games. And so, I feel like the teams that get to October, they’ve earned it. And we’ve got a long way to go.” Here were three keys to Monday’s win: **1\. Bregman flirts with a cycle** Bregman has achieved a lot over the course of his career, but the veteran third baseman has never hit for the cycle. In Monday’s win over the Cardinals, Bregman borrowed Dansby Swanson’s bat and finished a triple shy of a cycle. He sparked the Cubs’ offense at multiple turns. “I felt a lot better today,” Bregman said. “I felt like I was on ‘go’ every single pitch, and able to shut down on pitches I didn’t want to hit and swing at the ones I wanted to drive. I felt like I was using the whole field. I felt more inside the ball today than I’ve felt in a long time.” Bregman said he was intentional about moving his hands farther back in his swing and he choked up on one of Swanson’s bats, which are a little heavier than what he uses. The idea was to slow himself down a touch in order to get more “on plane” deeper in the zone. In the first inning, Bregman snapped out of an 0-for-12 slump with the second of consecutive doubles with Seiya Suzuki, putting the Cubs on the board. He then belted a sinker from lefty Matthew Liberatore to right for a leadoff homer in the third. Bregman added an opposite-field single off righty Hunter Dobbins in the fifth, paving the way for a two-run single from Hoerner.