The St Louis Cardinals swept a doubleheader Saturday against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium, plating nine in the first inning of the matinee but needing late heroics to secure the second contest.
In the opener, the Cardinals allowed the Cubs on the board first with Seiya Suzuki’s home run to center field. The Cardinals responded with an RBI single from Willson Contreras, then took advantage of two Cubs errors and a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, before Alec Burleson capped the inning with a three-run home run. Burleson added a double in the third inning, finishing the afternoon a triple shy of the cycle. The Cardinals added runs in the second and fourth, while the Cubs scored in the fourth and ninth, to make the final 11-3.
Cubs’ starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski was tagged with the loss, giving up all 11 runs and committing both errors. He lasted four innings, allowing ten hits and one walk while striking out four. Lance Lynn went six innings in the win for St Louis, allowing two runs, five hits and two walks while fanning six.
The Cardinals also had a strong first inning in the evening contest, with home runs from Masyn Winn and Willson Contreras, but the Cubs responded with four runs in the second. The Redbirds clawed a run back in the second with Alec Burleson’s sacrifice fly bringing in Nolan Gorman, before both teams turned to the bullpen that buckled down. The Cardinals would break through in the eighth, when Nolan Arenado’s single up the middle scored the two runs needed to win the second game, 5-4.
Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson went four innings, giving up four runs on ten hits and two walks while striking out three. JoJo Romero was credited with the win, his fourth of the season, pitching just two-thirds of an inning and allowing one walk. Ryan Helsley grabbed his league-leading 32nd save of the season.
The Cardinals now trail Milwaukee by 3.5 games in the NL Central, while maintaining just a half-game lead on the New York Mets for the second wild card spot. The Cardinals wrap up the home stand against the Cubs this afternoon, with first pitch at 1:15.