Arrieta, Chicago Cubs bullpen chill Cardinals
On a cool, breezy day at Wrigley Field, Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs bullpen chilled the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. The hitters did their part by adding on 4 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break open a tight game.
Arrieta pitched 6⅔ innings, and the relievers did the rest as the Cubs evened this four-game series at one apiece.
The Cubs went ahead 2-0 in the third inning against Cardinals lefty Tyler Lyons. Chris Denorfia's two-out 2-run single scored Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler. The Cubs added a run in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk by Soler.
The Cardinals are never easy to put away. The came within 3-2 in the seventh, when Arrieta threw 31 of his 103 pitches. Peter Bourjos hit a two-out RBI double and scored on a single by Xavier Scruggs.
A single by Tony Cruz chased Arrieta, and lefty James Russell came in out of the Cubs bullpen and struck out pinch hitter Matt Carpenter to end the inning.
Pedro Strop worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
The Cubs got insurance runs in the eighth on an RBI double by Dexter Fowler and a 2-run homer to left by Rizzo, whose drive battled a 24-mph wind out of the north. It was Rizzo's 16th homer of the season. Mark Reynolds hit a 2-run homer off Neil Ramirez in the top of the ninth. Jason Motte finished the game for the Cubs.
In the second game, Dallas Beeler will pitch for the Cubs against lefty Tim Cooney. The Cubs recalled Beeler from Class AAA Iowa as the 26th man for the doubleheader.