Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez homered and the fresh Cubs clinched a postseason series at Wrigley Field for the first time ever, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Tuesday to win the NL Division Series in four games.

Rizzo's solo drive to right off losing pitcher Kevin Siegrist in the sixth put Chicago back on top 5-4 after St. Louis scored two in the top half.

As if the fans were already hollering at the top of their lungs after that home run, they were really screaming after Schwarber's monstrous shot leading off the seventh. The ball landed on top of the right-field videoboard and wound up nestled against a railing on the front edge.

The late drives by Rizzo and Schwarber along with Baez's three-run homer off John Lackey in the second came after Chicago set a postseason record with six long balls in Monday's win.

And with the ball flying out again, the Cubs won for the 12th time in 13 games.

Cubs starter Jason Hammel allowed two runs and three hits. He exited after giving up a leadoff walk to Jhonny Peralta in the fourth.

Seven relievers combined to hold the Cardinals to two runs and five hits the rest of the way. Trevor Cahill picked up the win and Rondon worked the ninth for the save.

Hammel settled down after giving up a two-run homer to Piscotty on the game's fourth pitch. He also singled in a run with two out in the second before Baez connected against Lackey, the man the Cardinals were counting on to keep their season going, to make it 4-2.

Lackey gave up four runs and four hits over three innings after outpitching former teammate Lester in a dominant series opener.

St. Louis scored two in the sixth to tie it. But the rally ended with Tony Cruz - who drove in a run with a two-out double - getting thrown out at home by Jorge Soler trying to score on Brandon Moss' RBI single to right.

>>Kershaw, Dodgers Force Decisive Game 5 vs Mets

Clayton Kershaw finally came through with the season on the line Tuesday night, saving Los Angeles from another early playoff exit by pitching the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets that forced their NL Division Series to a deciding Game 5.

Working on only three days' rest, Kershaw shut down the Mets for seven innings and Justin Turner delivered a key hit against his former team. The series shifts back to Los Angeles on Thursday night, with fellow Dodgers ace Zack Greinke scheduled to start against Jacob deGrom.

The winner will host the wild-card Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series opener Saturday.

Kershaw's one-out single led to a three-run third. Adrian Gonzalez blooped an RBI single and Turner added a two-run double, providing support for the lefty ace.

The reigning NL MVP and three-time Cy Young Award winner snapped a five-start losing streak in the playoffs - the longest in Dodgers history.

He struck out eight, walked one and yielded only three hits, quieting another revved-up crowd at Citi Field as the night wore on. Daniel Murphy hit his second solo homer off Kershaw in the series, both coming in the fourth inning.

Kenley Jansen got four outs for his second save. With two runners on in the eighth and the count full, he retired Murphy on a fly to right. The right-hander then worked a 1-2-3 ninth as the Dodgers ended a seven-game losing streak in road playoff games.

Steven Matz was pitching in a big league game for the first time in 19 days after a balky back sidelined him late in the season. Still, he looked sharp early before Kershaw got the first hit of the game. With two outs, Howie Kendrick grounded a single up the middle and Gonzalez dumped an RBI single into center.

Turner then lined a 2-0 curve into the left-field corner to make it 3-0, tormenting his former team yet again.

Matz grew up a Mets fan on Long Island, about 50 miles from Citi Field, and his family attended the game. He went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in six major league starts this season, but the team saw enough to pitch him in the playoffs - in part because Matz threw gems to help clinch championships at Class A in 2013 and Double-A last year.

>>Rangers, Blue Jays Meet in Game 5 in Toronto

The Toronto Blue Jays stacked a pair of former Cy Young Award winners to prolong their stay in the AL Division Series.

For the deciding Game 5, they'll turn to a starter who was once expected to miss the entire season.

Marcus Stroman, who tore a ligament in his left knee during a spring training fielding drill in March, will get the ball when the Blue Jays host the Texas Rangers in a winner-take-all affair on Wednesday afternoon.

Stroman went 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA after rejoining the rotation in mid-September. He'll face Texas lefty Cole Hamels.

The Rangers also hope to have four-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner Adrian Beltre in the lineup again Wednesday. The slugger left Game 1 with a strained back but returned with two hits in Game 4. Banister said Tuesday that he hadn't heard anything new from his training staff about Beltre's condition.

>>Astros Turn To McHugh In Game 5 vs Royals

The Royals traded away three top prospects to acquire Johnny Cueto for the playoffs, even though his winning pedigree has been established almost entirely in the regular season.

He'll have an opportunity to change that Wednesday night.

The right-hander with the creative cadre of deliveries will take the mound for Kansas City in Game 5 of the AL Division Series against the Astros. The Royals forced the decider at Kauffman Stadium by rallying from a four-run deficit in the eighth inning Monday at Houston.

The Astros will counter with Collin McHugh, who threw a gem in winning the series opener.

The Royals have won nine of their past 10 elimination games, and now have momentum on their side. Their rousing comeback to force the series back to Kansas City drew comparisons to their comeback against Oakland in last year's wild-card game, when they dug out of a similar four-run hole in the eighth inning against Jon Lester and the A's.

McHugh allowed two runs - both on homers by Kendrys Morales - and six hits over six innings against the Royals in Game 1, shrugging off a 49-minute rain delay in the process. With a vicious slider and unflappable confidence, he calmly took care of a potent Kansas City lineup.