Chicago Cubs sweep the Colorado Rockies to enter the final week of the regular season in playoff position

Patrick Wisdom had made his way through the Chicago Cubs dugout, slapping high-fives with his teammates to celebrate his go-ahead two-run homer, when he reached the camera well.

The season hasn’t played out how Wisdom envisioned at the onset, when he logged most of the playing time at third base. He has been reduced to a platoon role, predominantly playing against left-handers both in spot starts and pinch-hitting opportunities. His two-run homer in the sixth inning off Colorado Rockies lefty Ty Blach served as the decisive blow in the Cubs’ 4-3 win Sunday for a three-game sweep.

“In the moment, I wasn’t really thinking, especially in the (batter’s) box, ‘Oh, if I hit a home run we’re going to go ahead,’ but it kind of hit me as I was rounding the bases,” Wisdom said. “Just hearing Wrigley erupt and seeing the dugout when you’re rounding second explode is really cool. It’s a hard feeling to replicate and just grateful to be in that position to be on this team and be with these guys who are rooting for one another.

“A huge part of it is staying ready to go at any moment during the game and just making sure that you trust in your abilities. I had to go all in. I couldn’t be questioning it. Just accept it and keep going and just trust in my abilities and knowing that when my name is called, I’m ready.”

So when Wisdom reached the end of the dugout, he took a moment to appreciate a clutch homer within the ups and downs of his season and gave a birthday shout-out into the TV camera for his 4-year-old daughter, Molly.

“I know she’s going to love it,” Wisdom said.

The Cubs didn’t take the easiest path to going 4-2 on the homestand after dropping two of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates. But their first home sweep of the Rockies since 2012 keeps them in control of their postseason future.

They will arrive in Atlanta on Sunday night in possession of the third and final National League wild card. FanGraphs’ projections give the Cubs a 55.5% chance of making the playoffs. The Miami Marlins, who are one game back, are at 52.5%.

Sunday’s victory also ensured the Cubs (82-74) will finish the season with a winning record.

“We’re just going to take it one at a time,” said Julian Merryweather, who worked around two walks to record the save. “We’ve got to make sure everyone’s on the same page and have our game plans tight and know exactly what we’re going do out there, and we’re going to take it moment to moment.”

The Cubs will need their stars to step up over the final six games — three each in Atlanta and Milwaukee — but they have gotten to this point because their depth on the bench and in the bullpen has stepped up when needed the most.

On Sunday, it was Wisdom’s turn, which was set up by rookie starter Jordan Wicks keeping the offense in the game. He held the Rockies to three runs in six innings. José Cuas and Merryweather kept Colorado off the board the final two innings.

Catcher Yan Gomes’ all-around game has not been overlooked in the clubhouse, and his fingerprints were all over the win. His double in the second gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead, and he pulled them within one with a sacrifice fly that preceded Wisdom’s two-run homer in the sixth.

Gomes prevented the Rockies’ potential tying run from advancing into scoring position in the eighth, teaming with Nico Hoerner to catch Brenton Doyle stealing.

“He’s had a great year,” manager David Ross said. “I don’t think it’s just (this) stretch. I would say his year has been spectacular from what he gave us last year, being able to build on that.

“He’s great in the clubhouse. He’s a real leader, talks through things with young pitchers and handles things really well and he’s thrown some guys out here lately, especially big bags, and done a nice job of controlling the running game. He’s a big part of our success for sure.”

Six games separate the Cubs and a return to the postseason. They must rack up wins against two teams already locked into the playoffs. The Cubs made things harder on themselves with a dreadful two-week stretch leading into their final homestand but are still where they want to be.