For the second straight game, the Cubs deflated the home crowd quickly with a six-run inning. This one came in the second, as Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez labored through a 38-pitch frame in which Chicago sent 11 batters to the plate. Jason Heyward drove in a pair with a two-out double and Ben Zobrist capped the inning with a two-run single.
Zobrist extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a three-hit afternoon. He was a nuisance to the Cardinals all series, as he reached base 10 times over the three days.
The Cardinals methodically crept back, however. Arrieta served up a homer to Randal Grichuk and another two runs in the fourth before being pulled after a season-low five innings. It marked the first time in his last 30 starts that Arrieta had given up four runs.
The two teams traded three-run blasts in the sixth inning -- Kris Bryant off Seung Hwan Oh, Matt Holliday against Adam Warren. And another home run, this by Matt Adams, pulled the Cards to within one in the seventh, but St. Louis' push ended there.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Road warrior: Addison Russell and pinch-hitter Matt Szczur each singled to open the Chicago sixth, and both scored two outs later on Bryant's 10th home run. Bryant didn't hit his 10th last season until June 22. The slugger also now has six road homers, and four have come on this trip. He's now tied with Anthony Rizzo for the team lead in RBIs with 35. Rizzo must miss home cooking. He went 3-for-35 on the nine-game trip.
Bryant's three-run blast
CHC@STL: Bryant crushes a three-run homer to left
Kris Bryant reaches double-digit homers on the year, launching a long three-run homer in the 6th for his 10th of the campaign
So close: After chipping away against Arrieta, the Cardinals had an opportunity to finish the comeback and potentially knock the right-hander out in the fifth. Arrieta loaded the bases by hitting Yadier Molina on the elbow, though the Cubs (unsuccessfully) contested that Molina leaned into the pitch. It became a moot point five pitches later when third baseman Bryant snared Grichuk's grounder down the third-base line and threw to second for the inning-ending forceout. Grichuk, who had already tallied a pair of RBI hits, was inches away from tying the game with another.
Grichuk's solo homer
CHC@STL: Grichuk goes the other way for a solo homer
Randal Grichuk takes a pitch from Jake Arrieta the opposite way for a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd
Deja vu: On Tuesday, the Cubs sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run first en route to a 12-3 win. On Wednesday, they waited until the second inning and sent 11 men to the plate, and again, scored six runs. Russell and Dexter Fowler each hit RBI singles, Heyward hit a two-run double and Zobrist hit a two-run single. For Zobrist, it was his second hit of the inning, and he now has reached safely in 31 straight starts.
Heyward's two-run double
CHC@STL: Heyward scores two with double to right
Jason Heyward sends a double off the first-base bag and into right field, scoring Addison Russell and Dexter Fowler for a 4-1 Cubs advantage
Uh-Oh: Cardinals reliever Oh had his string of nine scoreless appearances snapped when Bryant tattooed a slider 411 feet into the left-field seats. The blast turned a two-run Chicago lead into a five-run cushion. That mattered, too, as Holliday crushed a three-run homer in the bottom half of the inning. Oh, a rookie reliever out of South Korea, had not previously been homered upon in 24 1/3 innings.
Holliday's three-run shot
CHC@STL: Holliday lines a three-run homer to right
Matt Holliday goes the other way for a three-run home run off Adam Warren to keep the Cardinals within two runs
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Arrieta, the first time a team has scored a run in the first against the right-hander since the Royals did so on May 29, 2015. That also was the last time Arrieta gave up runs in the first and second innings, which he did on Wednesday. Arrieta lost that game vs. the Royals, 8-4.
The Cardinals were the first team to score four runs against Arrieta since the Indians did so last June 16. That snapped a streak of 30 consecutive starts of three earned runs or fewer for Arrieta that was the longest in Major League history.
WHAT'S NEXT
Cubs: After an off-day Thursday, the Cubs open a three-game series against the Phillies on Friday behind Jon Lester, who's coming off his shortest outing of the season when he lasted 2 2/3 innings against the Giants. Lester is 4-0 with a 1.76 ERA in six career starts against the Phillies. First pitch will be 1:20 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field.
Cardinals: The Cards will kick off a seven-game road trip on Thursday, with the start of a four-game series in Washington. Mike Leake, who has won three straight and allowed just two runs over his last 21 innings, will draw the start against right-hander Joe Ross. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 CT.
Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV.
Jenifer Langosch has covered the Cardinals for MLB.com since 2012, and previously covered the Pirates from 2007-11. Read her blog, follow her on Twitter, like her Facebook page and listen to her podcast.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Cubs nip Cards, win 23rd straight Arrieta start
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire