The Chicago Cubs bounced back in impressive fashion Friday afternoon, combining dominant pitching with one decisive swing from Seiya Suzuki to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 at Wrigley Field.
Clay Holmes delivered the biggest performance of the afternoon, keeping the Cardinals’ offense completely under control for 6 2/3 scoreless innings. In only his second start since joining Chicago from the New York Mets at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, Holmes looked every bit like the frontline addition the Cubs hoped they were acquiring. He retired the first 16 hitters he faced before José Fermín finally broke up the perfect-game bid with a single to right field in the sixth.
Holmes finished his outing with just one hit allowed, three strikeouts and one walk on 80 pitches. His ability to consistently work ahead and limit St. Louis’ opportunities gave Chicago’s offense time to find an opening in what had been a tightly contested pitcher’s duel.
The Cubs’ bullpen then took over and preserved the shutout. Ryan Rolison entered in relief and escaped the seventh inning by retiring Nathan Church following an 11-pitch battle. Ryan Zeferjahn handled the eighth before Jacob Webb closed the door in the ninth, recording his ninth save of the season.
Offensively, Suzuki provided the breakthrough Chicago desperately needed. After neither team could generate much offense through the first five innings, the Cubs finally cracked the scoreboard in the sixth.
Tyrone Taylor opened the inning with a walk against Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore and immediately put pressure on the defense by stealing second. Dansby Swanson followed with a single and then stole second himself, putting two runners in scoring position. With one out, Suzuki stepped into the box and turned a 2-1 changeup from George Soriano into a three-run shot over the left-center-field wall.
The blast gave Chicago a 3-0 advantage and ultimately proved to be all the offense the pitching staff needed.
The home run was Suzuki’s 21st of the season and his second in his last four games, adding another important contribution to an offense that had been held to just one hit in Thursday’s 7-0 loss to the Washington Nationals. Suzuki later added a double in the eighth inning, finishing the day as one of Chicago’s most productive hitters.
The victory was particularly important for the Cubs because it allowed them to immediately respond to Thursday’s offensive struggles. Chicago has now won nine of its last 11 games, continuing a strong stretch of baseball as the season moves deeper into August.
Liberatore pitched well enough to keep St. Louis within striking distance but ultimately suffered another difficult result. The left-hander allowed only two runs on two hits over 5 1/3 innings while striking out six and walking one. Despite the solid statistical performance, Liberatore dropped to 5-10 on the season and has now gone 0-4 across his last five starts.
The game remained scoreless until Chicago’s sixth-inning eruption. Nico Hoerner recorded the first hit of the afternoon for either team with a one-out single in the fifth inning, then stole second with two outs. Liberatore recovered, however, striking out Ian Happ to end the threat.
St. Louis also showed some defensive brilliance earlier in the game. In the fourth inning, shortstop Masyn Winn made an outstanding diving stop deep in the hole before throwing out Pete Crow-Armstrong. Moments later, second baseman JJ Wetherholt made an impressive backhanded play and threw out Suzuki to end another potential Cubs opportunity.
Despite those defensive highlights, the Cardinals could not generate enough offense against Holmes and Chicago’s bullpen. The Cubs’ pitching staff allowed only one hit all afternoon, while Suzuki’s three-run homer provided the difference.
For Chicago, the victory was another encouraging sign that its pitching and timely hitting are coming together at an important point in the season. Holmes’ continued success in the rotation and Suzuki’s power could both become significant factors as the Cubs push forward during the final stretch of the regular season.
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