CHICAGO — Just three days ago, the Cubs looked like a team on the verge of being swept. After they dropped the first two games of the NLDS to the Brewers in crushing fashion, there didn’t seem to be much reason for optimism in Chicago. But despite what appeared to be a steep uphill battle — winning three straight games with their backs firmly against the ropes — the Cubs never sounded all that concerned. They seemed to have a quiet confidence about what two games in a raucous Wrigley Field would do to change their fortunes and help them get back in this series.

First things first, to give themselves a chance to flip the series and force a Game 5, the Cubs needed to protect their home field. They did that Wednesday, with a 4-3 win in Game 3 that not only stopped the Brewers’ momentum but also created some for Chicago. Still, the question going into Game 4 was could the Cubs keep that going and put all the pressure back on Milwaukee in a winner-take-all Game 5?

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The answer, as it turned out, was a resounding yes, as the Cubs made a statement Thursday with a decisive 6-0 win over Milwaukee in Game 4, tying the NLDS 2-2.

“We had to fight our way to get into [Game 5], and I think the guys are fired up to pack their bags,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said afterward. “No doubt about it.”

One thing the Cubs have done consistently during this series, even when it wasn’t going their way, is set the tone in the first inning. And that stayed true in Game 4.

The Brewers were looking to put Chicago away in this contest, turning to ace Freddy Peralta on short rest after he tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings in Game 1 on Saturday. But the Milwaukee right-hander didn’t look the same in Game 4, and the Cubs took advantage quickly, putting two men on base in the first inning to set the table for Ian Happ.

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Historically, Happ hadn’t fared well against Peralta, going just 2-for-38 in his career against him in the regular season. But despite Peralta’s dominance, things were on the Cubs’ side this time.

As the Wrigley Field crowd fed off the Cubs’ first-inning at-bats, they were also having an impact on Peralta. As he pitched in the first, a chant slowly reverberated around Wrigley.

“Freddy …. Freddy … Freddy …”

And when the Cubs’ longest tenured player got his pitch to hit, he didn’t miss it. Happ demolished a 1-1 fastball over the plate and sent Wrigley’s crowd into a frenzy. The Happ home run marked the fourth straight game in which the Cubs homered in the first inning. In other words, they’ve done so in every game of this series.

“I’ve had a ton of at-bats against him. He’s had my number quite a bit,” Happ said postgame. “But I got him in Milwaukee on a fastball, so I knew he was going to go changeup, changeup to start the at-bat, and it was probably going to be a lot more soft stuff. I was able to get a fastball in that at-bat to hit.”

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Throughout this series, the Cubs had put pressure on the Brewers’ starting pitchers in the first inning. But in previous games, that let up after the first. Game 4 was different, as the Cubs kept pressure on Milwaukee for the duration of the contest. Chicago’s offense forced Peralta to throw 84 pitches across four innings, and they put runners on base in six of their eight innings, scoring in four.

“Momentum in baseball happens based on what’s on the field, know what I mean?” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “The Cubs earned it. They had their backs against the wall, and they played great these last two games. They pitched great. They played great. They played great defense. They hit in the clutch. They hit homers.”

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After Happ’s home run, for the first time against Milwaukee, the Cubs were able to add to their lead and give their pitchers some cushion. In the sixth, third baseman Matt Shaw delivered an RBI single to make it 4-0.

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Then Chicago put an exclamation point on the win with two big swings from Kyle Tucker and Michael Busch, who added solo home runs in the seventh and eighth innings. That made it a 6-0 ballgame.

“I feel good,” Tucker said after his second consecutive multihit game. “I’m swinging at pitches I want to swing at and laying off some of the other ones. It’s not always going to go your way, but as long as you can go up there and have a chance and put yourself in good spots, you’re at least giving yourself a shot.”

While the Cubs dominated during Game 4, it was hard to ignore the effect of their environment. Not only on the Cubs but also the Brewers, who in Games 3 and 4 did not look like the same team they were in Games 1 and 2. Whether it was the crowd tauntingly chanting a Milwaukee pitcher’s name or the building shaking whenever the Cubs’ offense did something, the Wrigley Field crowd was essentially a 10th player on the field for Chicago.

“We got the best fans in baseball, and it was electric,” said starter Matthew Boyd, who tossed 4 2/3 shutout innings in the win. “We’ve been feeding off them since April, but tonight was another level, and that was super special.”

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“The crowd was incredible tonight,” Counsell said. “I’ve never seen a baseball game like that. That was just amazing what they did tonight.”

Said Murphy: “I mean, it affected the game. This crowd affected the game the last two games. It affected the way we played, for sure. … That kind of stuff emotionally can affect guys. They can start to play a little too hard. This game is a game of precision, and the Cubs’ experience and what they’ve been through, they were better in this environment for sure.”

As the series heads back to Milwaukee for a Game 5 to determine who will face the Dodgers in the NLCS, the pressure has shifted from the Cubs to the Brewers. Chicago took two haymakers from Milwaukee in Games 1 and 2, pushing them to the brink of elimination.

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But the Cubs punched back with two big swings of their own, taking full advantage of their home ballpark to even the series. And going into a winner-take-all game in which anything can happen, the Cubs did exactly what they needed to do: Give themselves a shot.

And now there’s one big question for both clubs: Who starts Game 5?

So far, both teams have kept things extremely close to the chest, including neither side announcing their Game 4 starter until the morning of the game. It’s fair to expect that both teams might go with a bullpen game Saturday and have a quick trigger for each pitcher who comes into the game. Milwaukee will likely have some tougher decisions to make after starting Peralta on Thursday, meaning they’ll be without their best pitcher in their must-win game.

Chicago will also have to decide if giving the ball to Shota Imanaga is the right decision or if they like their chances better with a bullpen game. Imanaga has not looked great this postseason, and given his inability to keep the ball in the ballpark, he might have a tough time back in the building where he struggled badly in Game 2.

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But regardless of who starts for the Cubs, they have given themselves a real chance to complete their series comeback. It all comes down to one game — a game they’re extremely excited to play in after how the series began.

“We get to pack our bags, man,” Counsell said. “That’s all we wanted to do today is pack our bags.”