Cardinals 6, Cubs 3: Matt Adams tripled, doubled and drove in four runs to help visiting St. Louis snap a season-high four-game losing streak.
A.J. Pierzynski had three hits and an RBI in his debut with the Cardinals while Kolten Wong delivered two hits and scored a run for St. Louis, which plated four runs in the seventh. Starter Shelby Miller let up two runs in 5 2/3 innings, Randy Choate (2-2) retired the only man he faced to end the sixth and Trevor Rosenthal worked around two hits in the ninth for his 31st save.
Nate Schierholtz and Ryan Sweeney both had solo homers to pace Chicago, which fell to 4-14 in its last 18 games. Jake Arrieta yielded two runs in six solid innings but James Russell (0-2) was tagged with the loss after being charged with all four runs in the decisive seventh.
Schierholtz, hitting for Arrieta with one out in the sixth, deposited the second pitch he saw from Miller inside the right-field foul pole to make it 2-2. Jon Jay led off the seventh with a hit for St. Louis and came around on Matt Carpenter's RBI groundout before Adams made it 5-2 with a two-run triple into the gap in right-center.
Adams' hard shot in the opening frame ate up first baseman Anthony Rizzo and rolled down the right-field line to bring in a pair of runs. Rizzo's RBI groundout in the fourth halved the deficit for Chicago, which fell to 2-7 in games tied entering the seventh.
GAME NOTEBOOK: St. Louis signed Pierzynski - who had been released by Boston earlier in the month - to a free-agent deal on Saturday and designated C George Kottaras for assignment. ... Chicago optioned RHP Neil Ramirez to Triple-A Iowa and recalled RHP Blake Parker. ... The Cardinals are 12-5 in games played on Saturday.
St. Louis | Chi. Cubs | |
Shelby Miller | Player | Jake Arrieta |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
5.2 | IP | 6.0 |
3 | Strikeouts | 6 |
3 | Hits | 5 |
3.18 | ERA | 3.00 |
St. Louis | Chi. Cubs | |
A.J. Pierzynski | Player | Emilio Bonifacio |
3 | Hits | 3 |
1 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 4 |
.750 | Avg | .750 |