Game One Hundred Fifteen – Cubs 4, Cardinals 8
WP – Alex Reyes (1-0) LP – Carl Edwards Jr. (0-1) Save – None
The Cubs led 2-0 as late as the sixth inning. The Cardinals tied the game on solo homers by Brandon Moss in the sixth and Jedd Gyorko in the seventh. Kyle Hendricks turned the game over to the bullpen after seven innings.
Carl Edwards Jr. had no command Saturday. The Cardinals scored six runs in the eighth inning on two hits. Joe Smith replaced Edwards Jr. with the bases loaded and served up a Grand Slam to Randal Grichuk. And the Cubs 11-game winning streak was snapped with the team’s first loss in two weeks.
Addison Russell (2-for-2 with a home run, two walks, two runs scored and two RBI) gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run homer to left. The Cubs could not string together any hits together from that point on against the Cardinals’ rookie right-handers. Luke Weaver and Alex Reyes shut the Cubs down. But with the way Kyle Hendricks was pitching, it looked like the two runs might hold up.
Kyle Hendricks had another good outing. Hendricks made two mistakes in seven innings of work, and both ended up in the bleachers. Hendricks struck out side in the first and second innings and had nine strikeouts after four innings. Hendricks gave up just two runs on five hits. Hendricks did not walk a batter, hit a batter and tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts.
Carl Edwards Jr. replaced Hendricks for the eighth inning and struggled mightily for the first time at the big league level this season. Edwards Jr. gave the Cardinals two runs on a bases loaded wild pitch and a bases loaded walk. Joe Smith replaced Edwards Jr. with the bases loaded and two outs. And Smith served up a Grand Slam to Randal Grichuk.
The Cardinals scored six runs on two hits and four walks in the eighth inning.
The Cubs plated two runs in the ninth after Ben Zobrist (2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored) and Addison Russell reached on back-to-back singles. Jason Heyward (1-for-4) singled off Seth Maness’ glove and Zobrist scored when Maness threw the ball away. Javier Baez (1-for-4 with a RBI) plated Russell with a grounder to third.
The Cubs offense managed four runs on eight hits and four walks. And the Cubs were 2-for-7 with RISP while leaving five men on base.
Kyle Hendricks was sharp in the first two innings. Hendricks hit Stephen Piscotty in the first and gave up a leadoff single to Yadier Molina in the second. Hendricks struck out the other six batters he faced in the first two innings.
The Cubs got on the board in the second with a big fly off the bat of Addison Russell. Ben Zobrist led off the second with the Cubs’ first hit, a double to right.
Russell stepped in and put together an excellent at-bat. Russell worked a nine-pitch plate appearance and launched a 3-2 pitch from Weaver into the bleachers in left center. Russell’s two-run shot made it 2-0 Cubs. Heyward flied out to deep right.
Willson Contreras restarted the inning with a walk. Javier Baez singled to right center on a 1-2 pitch. Contreras motored to third with one down. Maddon called for the safety squeeze with Hendricks at the plate. Kyle Hendricks bunted the ball back to Weaver. Contreras did not read the play right coupled with a poor jump down the line and he was an easy out after Weaver flipped the ball to Molina.
Dexter Fowler walked to load the bases. Kris Bryant rolled a 2-2 pitch to Garcia at short. Bryant almost beat the throw to first, but Weaver got out of the jam. And at the end of two, the Cubs had a 2-0 lead.
The Cubs were not able to add on against Luke Weaver. Mike Matheny went to his pen for the top pitching prospect in the game, Alex Reyes, after four innings. The Cubs couldn’t string together any hits against Reyes in the fifth. The game went to the sixth with the Cubs still leading 2-0.
Stephen Piscotty led off the sixth and flied out to deep left. Zobrist caught the ball with his back near the ivy. On just about any other day, Piscotty would have added to his home run total. Hendricks struck out Carpenter for the second out.
Brandon Moss pulled Hendricks first pitch into the bleachers in right center. Moss’ solo shot cut the Cubs lead to 2-1. Hendricks retired Molina on a tap back to the mound for the third out.
Alex Reyes faced the minimum in the sixth after Jason Heyward lined into a 5-3 double play. At the end of six complete, the Cubs were clinging to a 2-1 lead.
Hendricks stayed in for the seventh and retired Peralta on a liner to Baez for the first out. Jedd Gyorko tied the game at two with a solo homer to left. Hendricks did not locate his changeup and Gyorko banged it into the bleachers in left. Hendricks struck out Grichuk and Reyes to end the seventh.
The Cubs went down in order in the seventh against Alex Reyes. And the game went to the eighth tied at two.
Carl Edwards Jr. started the eighth and had no command. Garcia lined out to center for the first out. Edwards Jr. walked Piscotty and gave up a single to Carpenter. Edwards Jr. walked Brandon Moss to load the bases.
Edwards Jr. struck out Molina swinging but Contreras had no shot at blocking the ball in the dirt. Piscotty scampered home and the Cardinals took a 3-2 lead. Edwards Jr. walked Peralta to reload the bases. And Edwards Jr. walked Gyorko to force in Carpenter, 4-2 Cardinals.
Joe Maddon went to the pen and brought in Joe Smith. And Randal Grichuk does what he does against Cubs’ pitching. Grichuk put the game out of reach with a four-run homer … 8-2 Cardinals.
Mike Montgomery pitched a scoreless ninth. And to the Cubs credit they did not quit playing the game.
Seth Manes started the ninth for the Cardinals with a six run lead. Zobrist singled to center. Russell singled to center. And the Cubs had two on with no outs. Heyward bounced a 1-1 pitch back up the middle. The ball hit off Maness’ glove. He picked the ball up behind the mound and slung it toward first. Heyward reached on an infield single. Zobrist scored on the error. Russell and Heyward went to second and third with no outs.
Mike Matheny switched out Maness with lefty Zach Duke. Contreras popped his first pitch out to right. The ball was not hit deep enough for Russell to score. Javier Baez grounded out to third, Russell scored, 8-4 Cardinals. Jorge Soler swung at the first pitch and grounded out to short to end the game.
With Saturday’s loss, the Cubs slipped to 73-42 on the season.
John Lackey takes on Mike Leake in the series finale with the Cardinals on Sunday night (7:08pm CDT).