Starting Lineups:

Chicago Cubs (32-27):

1) Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

2) Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

3) Alex Bregman (R) 3B

4) Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

5) Ian Happ (S) LF

6) Carson Kelly (R) C

7) Michael Busch (L) 1B

8) Kevin Alcántara (R) DH

9) Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Starting Pitcher: LHP Jordan Wicks (0-1, 16.62 ERA)

St. Louis Cardinals (30-26):

1) JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

2) Iván Herrera (R) DH

3) Jordan Walker (R) RF

4) Nelson Velázquez (R) LF

5) Alec Burleson (L) 1B

6) Masyn Winn (R) SS

7) José Fermín (R) CF

8) Thomas Saggese (R) 3B

9) Pedro Pagés (R) C

Starting Pitcher: RHP Matthew Liberatore (2-3, 4.76 ERA)

Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO — In the rubber match of a 3-game series, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 5-1 thanks to consistent offensive production.

The Cardinals would score first in the game in the bottom of the first.

JJ Wetherholt led off the bottom of the first with a base hit to left field, and Ivan Herrera notched a single to center field to put runners at the corners with no one out. Jordan Walker plated the game’s first run with an RBI single to right field to put St. Louis up, 1-0.

Nelson Velazquez grounded into a fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners with no outs. One batter later, Alec Burleson hit an RBI groundout to put the Cardinals up 2-0.

The Cardinals would scratch across three runs in the bottom of the third.

Wetherholt hit a lead-off single in the bottom of the third, and one batter later, Herrera hit a scorcher to shortstop that got through to put two on with no one out.

Alec Burleson would follow suit with a shallow RBI liner to left field to put the Cardinals up 3-0. Maysn Winn would plate two with a single to center field to put St. Louis up 5-0.

The Cubs would get on the board in the top of the sixth thanks to a homer.

Alex Bregman saw a pitch he liked and parked into the left-center field bullpen to cut into the lead 5-1 St. Louis.

Alex Bregman – photo courtesy of Mass Live

The Good: The Cardinal’s starter and reliever managed to hold the Cubs to just one run over the course of the game.

The Bad/The Ugly: Due to injuries in the starting rotation, the Cubs were relying on starter Jordan Wicks and the bullpen, and it was not a good day for them. Wicks and the bullpen gave up five runs across 8 hits over the course of the game.

-Matt Koper

Founder of Koper’s Korner