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ST. LOUIS -- Kyle Hendricks was so good Monday night he even surprised himself.The right-hander took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before giving up Jeremy Hazelbakers leadoff home run, and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 to close in on the NL Central crown.I never thought Id get that close to one, Hendricks said. A guy who throws to contact and doesnt throw hard, you dont think about it. You can run into one of those special days and you think, why not?My pregame bullpen was probably the worst Ive had all year. Hopefully it clicks once the game starts, and it did.All the way until the ninth inning.Hazelbaker drove an 0-2 pitch into the right-field stands for his 12th homer before Hendricks (15-7), the major league ERA leader at 2.03, was relieved by Aroldis Chapman.If youre going to give it up, at least its that way and not a cheap hit, Hendricks said. I just left the ball up and he got it. It was just a changeup and I wanted to throw it in the dirt and get him to chase.Hazelbaker was looking for a changeup.I wasnt surprised by it, he said. Hed been throwing that pitch all night. It was a good pitch he threw me. I was able to handle it like I wanted to.Ben Zobrist and Dexter Fowler homered for the Cubs, who lowered their magic number to three for clinching the division crown. They lead the second-place Cardinals by 17 games and can wrap up the NL Central with a three-game sweep in St. Louis.The Cardinals remained a half-game behind the Mets for the leagues second wild card. New York lost 8-1 at Washington.Soon after Hazelbakers shot cleared the fence, teammates went to the mound to talk to Hendricks -- leading to an animated argument between Cubs manager Joe Maddon and plate umpire Joe West.Maddon was ejected for the third time this season, and Chapman entered to finish the one-hitter. He got three outs for his 14th save with Chicago, and is 34 for 37 overall this year with the Cubs and Yankees.After the pitching change, Maddon argued some more with West before leaving.It was a misinterpretation there, Maddon said. We needed more time there. I needed the catcher to go to the mound. We were denied. I made my stand.I truly believe I was proper in that, but this is not about that. This is Kyles night.Hendricks, who threw 96 pitches, struck out seven and walked two.Pretty special night all around, he said. It was fun, man.It was the fourth no-hit bid broken up in the ninth inning this season. Cubs teammate Jake Arrieta tossed the lone no-hitter in the majors this year, winning 16-0 at Cincinnati on April 21.Hendricks got some help from his defense, especially in the sixth.Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, deep in the hole, went to his knees on the outfield grass for a sliding stop of Jhonny Peraltas sharp grounder and made a strong throw to first.Right fielder Jason Heyward then reached into the stands to catch Hazelbakers foul fly, practically wrestling with a fan in a Cardinals jersey for the ball.He was unbelievably great, Maddon said about Hendricks. Unfortunately, he didnt get the no-hitter. They didnt have good swings against him all night. He was in charge the entire game. It was a spectacular performance. Kyle was the star.Hendricks control made him tough to hit, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.He was pushing the corners all day long and hes been doing that most of the season and didnt give us a whole lot, Matheny said.Mike Leake (9-10) pitched six innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter. Leake, making his second start since a stint on the disabled list due to shingles, allowed six hits and four runs (three earned).Anthony Rizzo had an RBI single for the Cubs.The last time the Cubs won a division title was 2008. They did it by beating St. Louis on Sept. 20 at Wrigley Field.TRAINERS ROOMCardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (right shoulder) threw batting practice to Brayan Pena, Jose Martinez and Alberto Rosario. Wacha said he hopes to come off the disabled list Wednesday. ... LF Matt Holliday took batting practice on the field for the first time since breaking his right thumb Aug. 11 against the Cubs. ... Cardinals closer Seung Hwan Oh, who has 17 saves and a 1.87 ERA, was unavailable Saturday and Sunday against Milwaukee because of a sore groin. Speaking through translator Eugene Koo, the reliever said he would not be available Monday but should be Tuesday.UP NEXTCardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia (10-12, 4.58 ERA) makes his 29th start of the season Tuesday night, his most since 2011 when he made 32. He has started seven games against the Cubs and is 3-2 with a 2.27 ERA.Cubs: RHP Jason Hammel (14-8, 3.50) allowed nine runs -- eight earned -- and a career-high 13 hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 12-5 loss at Milwaukee last time out. He is 4-4 with a 4.80 ERA in 10 starts against the Cardinals.Custom Los Angeles Angels Nike Jerseys . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Custom Chicago White Sox Nike Jerseys .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/ . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Custom Houston Astros Nike Jerseys . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Custom Texas Rangers Nike Jerseys . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position.Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insists his squad must not rest on their laurels after blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Polish champions Legia Warsaw in midweek.Zidanes side return to La Liga action on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 10:55am, at home to Leganes and the former France international wants a more rounded performance from his side.I always think that I have the best squad in the world, but at the same time that is not enough, said Zidane. Only Mateo Kovacics equaliser five minutes from time ensured Reals 27-game unbeaten streak remained intact, as Legia took their first Champions League point for 21 years.We need to go out onto the pitch and always play at our top level for 90 minutes, Zidane added. To be persistent is the hardest thing in football. R Madrid vs Leganes November 6, 2016, 10:55am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Despite Reals unbeaten run and still enjoying a two-point lead aat the top of La Liga, the club havent kept a clean sheet in 10 games in all competitions.ddddddddddddZidane will once again be without his preferred central defensive pairing of captain Sergio Ramos and Pepe due to injury on Sunday, but called on the whole team to defend better as a unit.It doesnt worry me, he said. I dont like conceding goals and the players like it even less, but it is a question for everyone, not just the four defenders.We can all improve and what I am going to try to do is impose more calm. Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has warned his players against complacency ahead of their league clash with Leganes on Sunday Real have received a big injury boost, though, with the return of Luka Modric after a month on the sidelines due to knee surgery.The Croatia international is likely to start on the bench against Leganes, but Zidane hopes to hand Modric some game time in the second-half.He is in the squad, Zidane said. The idea is that he will have minutes and well see tomorrow. The important thing is that he is okay and has completely recovered.Zidane confirmed Karim Benzema will miss out due to a hamstring problem, so Alvaro Morata will join Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in attack. ' ' '