CHICAGO (Interstat) — Seiya Suzuki homered in his fourth consecutive game and Javier Assad combined with Jordan Wicks on a six-hit shutout as the playoff-bound Chicago Cubs completed a three-game series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2-0 victory Sunday evening to close the regular season.

A crowd of 37,497 at Wrigley Field watched the Cubs, who finished as the National League’s top wild card, methodically dispatch their division rivals. Chicago will host the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of a best-of-three wild card series on Tuesday.

The game was a tight pitchers’ duel, with both teams recording six hits, but the Cubs capitalized on their limited opportunities. Suzuki provided the initial breakthrough, launching a solo home run to left field off St. Louis reliever John King in the fifth inning. It was his 32nd homer of the season and extended a torrid final stretch in which he hit five home runs and drove in 10 runs over his last four games. He finished the regular season with a team-leading 103 RBIs.

Chicago added an insurance run in the seventh. Pinch-runner Kevin Alcántara, who entered after a single, came around to score on a line-drive single to center field by rookie Moises Ballesteros.

That was more than enough support for the Cubs’ pitching staff. Assad, the winning pitcher, was dominant, allowing just three hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out six and walked one, improving his record to 4-1. The Cardinals’ best chance against him came in the fifth inning when Victor Scott II hit a ground-rule double, but Assad stranded him by getting Nathan Church to pop out.

Wicks took over with one out in the sixth and was equally effective, earning his first save of the season with three innings of scoreless relief. He allowed three hits and struck out four, navigating a minor threat in the ninth inning. After a single and a two-base error put the tying run on second base with one out, Wicks struck out Jordan Walker and Jimmy Crooks swinging to end the game.

The Cardinals, who finished their season with a record of 78-84, never seriously threatened to score. They went 0 for 2 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Scott II was a bright spot for St. Louis, going 2 for 4 with a double.

King took the loss for St. Louis, falling to 2-1 after surrendering Suzuki’s decisive home run in his 1 2/3 innings of work. Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy was effective, allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings, and relievers Matt Svanson, Riley O’Brien and Ryan Fernandez also posted zeros.

The victory gave the Cubs a 92-70 final record and significant momentum heading into the postseason, having outscored the Cardinals 20-1 over the final two games of the series. The loss cemented a disappointing sub-.500 finish for the Cardinals. The game time was a brisk 2 hours and 2 minutes.