Garza struggles in Cubs' 9-2 loss
ST. LOUIS — Chicago right-hander Matt Garza is glad July is finally coming to a close.
He ended a respectable month with a six-run outing against the Cardinals in the Chicago Cubs' 9-2 loss on Friday night.
Garza finished the month 0-2 with four no-decisions and a 3.82 ERA in six starts.
"I'll just keep going, there's no other way to do it," he said. "Every five days, I'll be ready,"
Garza rolled through the first three innings against St. Louis before running into trouble in the fourth. He gave up three successive hits including a three-run homer to David Freese that gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.
"They beat me on one pitch," Garza said. "I thought I had good stuff. He guessed right. Chalk it up as one of those days."
Pujols led off the fourth inning with a double. After Holliday singled, Freese hit a three-run homer into the left-center field bleachers for a 3-1 St. Louis lead.
Garza (4-8) retired six of the next seven batters before running into trouble in the sixth when he was lifted with the bases loaded and two outs.
Matt Holliday scored on a a one-out single by Yadier Molina. After getting Jackson to pop out with the bases loaded, Garza gave way to James Russell to face Corey Patterson. Theriot pinch-hit for Patterson and hit a ball down the third-base line and Aramis Ramirez dove for the ball, knocking it into foul territory, scoring two runs for a 6-1 lead.
It was Theriot's first pinch-hit in three chances this year and snapped an 0 for 14 hitless streak.
"Sloppy, three physical mistakes that hurt us," Chicago manager Mike Quade said. "The total package wasn't good. It's been so difficult for us to score runs, especially lately. It's tough."
Albert Pujols got his 2,000th hit and Edwin Jackson pitched seven innings in his debut with St. Louis.
David Freese hit a three-run homer and Ryan Theriot, who entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth, drove in three runs on two hits.
In his 10th season, Pujols is 263rd overall on the major league hit list. He's the fifth Cardinal to get 2,000 hits in a career. He is the 12th quickest player to 2,000 hits in history, taking 1,650 games.
Pujols joined Stan Musial (3,630), Lou Brock (2,713), Rogers Hornsby (2,110) and Enos Slaughter (2,063) as the only Cardinals to get 2,000 with the franchise.
His eighth-inning double down the third-base line off Carlos Marmol capped a 2 for 5 and drove in a run.
Quade decided to have Marmol pitch to Pujols even though first base was open.
"The place would have gone nuts had we put him on," Quade said. "I thought it was a hell of a challenge."
"The place would have gone nuts had we put him on," Quade said. "I thought it was a hell of a challenge."
Pujols stood on second base and waved his helmet in appreciation of the standing ovation by 42,042 fans at Busch Stadium after recording his 2,000th hit. The Cubs waited, giving Pujols his moment.
"I think if they would have kept going I think a couple of drops would have come out of my eyes," Pujols said. "To be able to share this moment with them is incredible. Hopefully, I can continue to do it the rest of my career."
Jackson, a right-hander was dealt Wednesday in a three-team deal from the Chicago White Sox to the Toronto Blue Jays and then to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Jackson (8-7) gave up seven hits and two walks. He was won four of his last five decisions. Jackson has allowed three earned runs in 22 innings, winning his last three starts.
The Cardinals have won their last five games against the Cubs. The last time they won five straight over Chicago was in 2000. The loss sank the Cubs, losers of four straight, to 22 games below .500, their low-water mark of the season. In those four consecutive losses, Chicago has been outscored 14-6.
NOTES: St. Louis native and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chuck Berry, celebrating his 84th birthday, threw out the first pitch to infielder Tyler Greene, who was recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Memphis. Berry was wearing a Cardinals jersey with No. 84 on the back with the words "Father of Rock and Roll" on it. Berry tunes played between each inning. Earlier in the day, a life-sized statue of Berry was unveiled in suburban University City. ... Cubs left-handed reliever James Russell pitched one-third of an inning to give him to 14 scoreless innings this year.