The St. Louis Cardinals closed out their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs with an emphatic 11-4 victory Sunday at Wrigley Field, riding a barrage of extra-base hits and home runs to take the deciding game. Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson provided the biggest power blows, while JJ Wetherholt continued to make an impact at the top of the lineup.
St. Louis wasted little time putting pressure on Chicago starter Edward Cabrera. Wetherholt opened the game with a ground-rule double and quickly came around to score when Burleson launched a towering 421-foot home run into the right-center-field stands. The blast immediately put the Cardinals ahead 2-0 and set the tone for an offensive performance that would only grow stronger.
The Cardinals added another run in the second inning. Jimmy Crooks doubled with two outs before Blaze Jordan followed with a single to center. A misplay by Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong allowed Crooks to score, giving St. Louis a 3-0 advantage.
Chicago briefly threatened to swing the momentum in the third. Hunter Dobbins had kept the Cubs hitless until issuing a walk to Triantos. Two batters later, Crow-Armstrong took advantage of a fastball and crushed a home run to right field, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
St. Louis answered immediately.
Cabrera struggled to locate his pitches in the fourth, walking both Masyn Winn and Crooks before a Blaze Jordan single loaded the bases. Wetherholt then drew another walk, forcing home a run and extending the Cardinals’ lead to 4-2. Iván Herrera followed with a sacrifice fly, bringing Crooks home for a 5-2 advantage.
The inning still wasn’t over.
After Chicago replaced Cabrera with Ryan Rolison, Burleson greeted the new pitcher with a sharp single to left. Two runners scored when Ian Happ struggled to make a clean throw toward home, pushing the Cardinals ahead 7-2.
Then Walker delivered perhaps the loudest blow of the afternoon.
With Burleson aboard, Walker waited back on a slow curveball and launched it over the center-field wall for a two-run homer. The 79 mph pitch disappeared into the seats, giving St. Louis a commanding 9-2 lead and showcasing the power that has made Walker such an intriguing part of the Cardinals’ lineup.
Dobbins wasn’t perfect, but he gave St. Louis the type of start it needed. He worked five innings, allowing only two hits and two earned runs while striking out the Cubs’ lineup and limiting significant damage. His biggest issue was control, as he issued four walks, but he still provided five valuable innings in a hostile Wrigley Field environment.
After Dobbins departed in the sixth, Luis Gastelum helped stabilize the game. He escaped a two-on situation in the sixth and returned for the seventh, keeping Chicago’s offense from building any momentum.
The Cardinals then added even more insurance in the eighth.
Wetherholt recorded his second hit of the afternoon with an infield single before Herrera drew a walk. Walker stepped up again and crushed a 92 mph cutter off the right-center-field wall, driving in both runners with a two-run double. The hit pushed St. Louis into double digits and made it an 11-2 game.
Chicago managed a run in the eighth, but the Cardinals’ advantage remained overwhelming. Gordon Graceffo allowed a double to Seiya Suzuki before a wild pitch moved him to third, and Tyrone Taylor brought him home with a sacrifice fly.
St. Louis finished the job in the ninth. Former Cardinal Carson Kelly took the mound for Chicago, but the Cubs couldn’t mount a serious comeback. Caleb Ferguson handled the final inning and avoided issuing a walk, helping the Cardinals put the finishing touches on a dominant road victory.
The Cubs did add a final solo homer from Miguel Amaya, but it merely changed the final margin to 11-4.
For St. Louis, the victory was another reminder of how dangerous the lineup can be when its young hitters are producing together. Burleson supplied the early three-run impact, Walker delivered multiple extra-base hits and three RBIs, and Wetherholt reached base repeatedly while setting the table.
The Cardinals now face an exhausting stretch, beginning with a Monday doubleheader against Cincinnati. St. Louis is scheduled to play eight games across seven days, making the depth of its pitching staff and bullpen especially important. After an explosive offensive performance against Chicago, the Cardinals will look to carry that momentum into the demanding week ahead.
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