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Bullpen costs Cards in 5-game series in Chicago

The Cubs won three of the five games, scoring a total of 19 runs in a combined 18 innings against the Cardinals' bullpen in the series.
Yairo Munoz of the St. Louis Cardinals makes a catch on Jason Heyward of the Chicago Cubs as Dexter Fowler of the St. Louis Cardinals slides during the seventh inning on July 22, 2018, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

By Rob Rains

Matt Carpenter’s home run streak came to an end on Sunday. The streak of bad performances from Cardinals’ relievers did not.

The game was tied 2-2 going to the sixth inning but the Cubs scored five runs off Mike Mayers and Brett Cecil over the next three innings to win the final game of the five-game, four-day series at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs won three of the five games, scoring a total of 19 runs in a combined 18 innings against the Cardinals’ bullpen in the series.

Carpenter was 1-of-4 as his streak of hitting a home run was snapped at six games. His only hit was a bunt single against a four-man outfield leading off the game. That hit also ended his streak of consecutive extra-base hits at 12, also a franchise record.

Here is how the game broke down:

At the plate: Carpenter’s bunt single led to a run when he advanced to third on a ground-rule double by Yadier Molina and scored on a sacrifice fly by Paul DeJong … Yairo Munoz doubled in their other run in the fourth … They were a combined 0-of-9 with runners in scoring position … A pair of infield hits with one out in the ninth inning gave Carpenter one more chance to extend his streak, but he popped out to short … Cleanup hitter Marcell Ozuna was 0-of-4 and for the month of July is 13-of-72, a .181 average. In 18 games he has one extra-base hit, a double. His last home run came on June 16.

On the mound: Miles Mikolas allowed the first two Chicago runs on six hits over five innings before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the sixth … Mayers gave up a home run to Kyle Schwarber in the sixth and another run in the seventh after issuing a leadoff walk in the inning … Cecil retired only one of the six batters he faced in the eighth, giving up three hits, walking one and seeing another runner reach on an error.

Key stat: The Cardinal have used four left-handed relievers this season – Cecil, Tyler Lyons, Austin Gomber and Ryan Sherriff. They have combined to pitch 60 innings in which they have allowed 41 earned runs, an ERA of 6.15. Combined, Cecil and Lyons have allowed 31 earned runs in 40 innings.

Worth noting: The loss dropped the Cardinals into fourth place in the NL Central, 8 ½ games behind the Cubs and a half-game behind the third-place Pirates … Before this weekend, Carpenter had homered five times in 206 career at-bats in 56 games at Wrigley Field. He hit six homers in 17 at-bats in the five games in this series … He had a homer in five consecutive games against the Cubs, the longest streak ever by a Cardinal, including a home run on June 17 … Tyler O’Neill had the first three-homer game of his pro career on Sunday for Memphis, giving him 23 homers at the Triple A level this year plus three for the Cardinals … Luken Baker, the Cardinals’ third pick in this year’s draft, made his debut for Peoria on Sunday and was 3-of-5 with a double and an RBI.

Looking ahead: The Cardinals open a three-game series on Monday night in Cincinnati, with rookie Daniel Poncedeleon set to join the team from Memphis and make his major-league debut. He was with the team for a week earlier this season but did not pitch. Austin Gomber also will be recalled from Memphis to make his first major-league start on Tuesday.

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