CHICAGO —
Game 1
Matt Carpenter belted a grand slam and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cubs 9-3 in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Wednesday, holding Chicago to two hits even though a shaky Jack Flaherty couldn’t make it out of the second inning.
Flaherty gave up a leadoff homer to Ian Happ and recorded just five outs in his first start since a season-opening win over Pittsburgh.
The right-hander struggled to locate his fastball and issued what he described as “pretty out-of-character walks.” But he got plenty of help.
“The offense was really fun to watch today,” Flaherty said. “Going out there in the first and putting up a four spot and kind of giving me a little bit of room to breathe and go out and work on executing pitches. They didn’t stop there, though. When you get four in the first it’s real easy to kind of call it a day, but they kept going at it.”
Carpenter drove a rope to center in the first against Alec Mills (2-2) for his second career grand slam. Tommy Edman had three hits and Kolten Wong scored four runs.
Flaherty threw 41 pitches, walked two and exited with the bases loaded after hitting Nico Hoerner with an 0-2 pitch. Austin Gomber struck out Happ to end that threat and escaped another bases-loaded jam in the third when Jason Kipnis grounded out.
Tyler Webb (1-1) got four outs and the Cardinals got back to winning after dropping two straight to the NL Central leaders. Baseball’s seven-inning doubleheader format, implemented this season to help teams push through a frequently disrupted 60-game schedule, allowed St. Louis to use four relievers for 1 1/3 innings apiece after Flaherty’s exit. No team has been more disrupted than the Cardinals, who were sidelined for 15 days by a COVID-19 outbreak.
John Gant and Ricardo Sánchez finished the game for the Cardinals, with Sánchez allowing the Cubs’ only other hit — Josh Phegley’s two-run homer in the seventh.
The Cardinals will try to cap this unusual five-game, three-day series with a doubleheader sweep. The teams split two seven-inning games Monday.
Happ hit the right field video board with his team-leading sixth homer — and third in four games. Mills lasted lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and seven hits.
“Just one of those days where I didn’t have the feel for much out there,” Mills said. “I wasn’t able to throw many pitches for strikes today. Fastball command wasn’t as good as it has been. Made the wrong pitch to Carpenter. He just hit it out of the yard. He did what he was supposed to, so not good.”
Game 2
David Bote hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the seventh and final inning, Adbert Alzolay pitched five solid innings in his first start of the season, and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Wednesday night to split a doubleheader.
St. Louis’ Brad Miller hit a tying RBI single in the bottom of the sixth against Jeremy Jeffress (2-1). But the Cubs quickly answered.
Playing as the visitor in the nightcap because the game was a makeup from a postponed series in St. Louis from earlier this month, the Cubs loaded the bases against Andrew Miller (0-1) on singles by Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras and Nico Hoerner with one out. Bote, whose pinch-hit, hit three-run homer won the second game of Monday's doubleheader, then lined a single to center against Giovanny Gallegos, making it 4-2 and propelling the Cubs to their third win in four games.
Craig Kimbrel, who lost the closer's job after a shaky start to the season, worked the seventh for his first save. He struck out Kolten Wong after hitting Tommy Edman with two out to close out an unusual five-game, three-day series.
In the opener, Matt Carpenter belted a first-inning grand slam and the Cardinals beat the Cubs 9-3. St. Louis held Chicago to two hits in the seven-inning game even though shaky starter Jack Flaherty only recorded five outs.
Alzolay gave the Cubs what they were looking for in his third major league start, holding the reigning division champions to an unearned run and two hits. The 25-year-old right-hander struck out six and walked one after being called up from Chicago's alternate site in South Bend, Indiana.
Johan Oviedo went five innings for St. Louis in his major league debut, giving up two runs and two hits.
Flaherty gave up a leadoff homer to Ian Happ in the first game, his first start since a season-opening win over Pittsburgh.
The right-hander struggled to locate his fastball and issued what he described as “pretty out-of-character walks.” But he got plenty of help.
Carpenter drove a rope to center in the first against Alec Mills (2-2) for his second career grand slam. Tommy Edman had three hits and Kolten Wong scored four runs.
Flaherty threw 41 pitches, walked two and exited with the bases loaded after hitting Nico Hoerner with an 0-2 pitch. Austin Gomber struck out Happ to end that threat and escaped another bases-loaded jam in the third when Jason Kipnis grounded out.
Tyler Webb (1-1) got four outs for the Game 1 win. Baseball’s seven-inning doubleheader format, implemented this season to help teams push through a frequently disrupted 60-game schedule, allowed St. Louis to use four relievers for 1 1/3 innings apiece after Flaherty’s exit. No team has been more disrupted than the Cardinals, who were sidelined for more than two weeks by a COVID-19 outbreak.
John Gant and Ricardo Sánchez finished the game for the Cardinals, with Sánchez allowing the Cubs’ only other hit — Josh Phegley’s two-run homer in the seventh.
Mills lasted lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and seven hits.
“Just one of those days where I didn’t have the feel for much out there,” Mills said. “I wasn’t able to throw many pitches for strikes today. Fastball command wasn’t as good as it has been. Made the wrong pitch to Carpenter. He just hit it out of the yard. He did what he was supposed to, so not good.”