The Cubs had the right batters they needed at the right time to stun Ryan Helsley and the Cardinals on Thursday night at Wrigley Field.
Helsley inherited a 4-2 lead when he entered the game for the bottom of the ninth inning. It became a 4-3 game when Cody Bellinger homered and Helsley’s trouble really began.
Nico Hoerner singled with two outs, stole second and scored the tying run on a double by Dansby Swanson. Mike Tauchman came up as a pinch-hitter, and his double down the left field line completed the three-run rally that gave the Cubs the victory.
It was the first loss of the season for the Cardinals where they were leading going to the ninth inning; they had been 48-0 in those games.
The hits from Bellinger, Swanson and Tauchman all came with two strikes. For Hoerner, Swanson and Tauchman, it just extended the success they have had against Helsley in his career.
The three are now a combined 12-of-20 against Helsley, who suffered only his third blown save of the season. Helsley had not allowed a run in his last seven appearances at Wrigley Field dating back to 2020.
Here is how Thursday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals built their 4-2 lead on a first-inning home run from Paul Goldschmidt, his 17th of the year, and a three-run seventh inning that included a two-run homer from Masyn Winn that turned a 2-1 Chicago lead into a 3-2 lead for the Cardinals …Goldschmidt followed with his third hit of the game, a double, and he scored on a single by Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals only hit in six at-bats with a runner in scoring position … Tommy Pham had two more hits and is now 6-of-10 in his first three games since being traded back to the Cardinals.
On the mound: Sonny Gray had his best start since June 23 as he worked seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out nine but only got a no-decision for his efforts. Gray allowed just two hits after the second inning, one a home run by Seiya Suzuki in the sixth. Gray had an ERA of 6.75 in four starts in July … JoJo Romero worked 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts to hand the two-run lead to Helsley in the bottom of the ninth.
Key stat: The hits in the ninth inning left Hoerner 5-of-9 in his career off Helsley; Swanson 4-of-7 and Tauchman 3-of-4.
Worth noting: After his seven-inning, one-run effort in his major-league debut on Wednesday, Michael McGreevy was optioned back to Memphis along with reliever Ryan Loutos. The moves opened spots on the roster for the pitchers acquired before the trade deadline, Erick Feede from the White Sox and Shawn Armstrong from Tampa Bay … Catcher Nick Raposo, who was designated for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot, was claimed off waivers by Toronto … Steven Matz made a rehab start for Memphis on Thursday night, allowing one run, on a home run, in two innings at Durham. He threw 30 pitches, 20 of them strikes, in his first game since June 16. Matz’s last game for the Cardinals was on April 30.
Looking ahead: Fedde will make his Cardinals debut on Friday in the second game of the four-game series.
Follow Rob Rains on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RobRains.