The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten their offense in gear.
After scoring eight runs over the final three innings of an 11-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, the Cardinals set a season high in runs and hits (17) on Friday in a 17-1 romp over the rival Chicago Cubs.
The Cardinals will look to set off more offensive fireworks and capture a series win in the rematch vs. the Cubs on Saturday night at Wrigley Field.
“Love coming to this park, and to do what we did was awesome,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said after his team ran roughshod on Friday. “… Overall, regardless of score, they were taking really gritty at-bats. They weren’t giving anything away. We find different ways to win. Today, we definitely slugged.”
Masyn Winn joined Nathan Church in hitting a three-run homer, and Bryan Torres also went deep for the Cardinals, who scored only one run in a loss to the Braves on Wednesday. Winn and Alec Burleson each drove in four runs on Friday, and Blaze Jordan matched Ivan Herrera with three hits.
“It was a blast. I heard it was gonna be rowdy and a lot of fun. So, to come out on top like that, it was a lot of fun,” Jordan told STL Sports Central. ” … We’re just trying to keep this thing rolling.”
The Cubs were rolling into the series opener on the strength of a 23-3 shellacking of the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, They belted eight homers in that contest, including three by Dansby Swanson and two by Michael Conforto.
Swanson, however, went 0-for-2 and Conforto was hitless in four at-bats on Friday as Chicago found itself on the wrong end of a lopsided result.
Alex Bregman’s RBI double in the seventh inning accounted for the Cubs’ lone run. He had two of his team’s seven hits.
Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy (6-4, 4.09 ERA) will start on Saturday opposite Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga (5-6, 4.30).
Leahy recorded his first win since May 16 after allowing one run on two hits in five innings of a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Sunday.
Leahy, 29, has a 3.18 ERA in 10 career appearances (two starts) vs. Chicago. He yielded one run on six hits in 4 1/3 innings in his team’s 6-1 loss to the Cubs on May 30.
Imanaga returns to the mound after pocketing a no-decision on Monday, when he permitted two runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings against the San Diego Padres. Chicago won 3-2.
“I thought Shota pitched great,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after that outing. “We desperately needed the length. For him to get into the seventh inning just meant everything, and with the chance to win the game meant everything.”
Imanaga was shelled in his last encounter vs. St. Louis, surrendering three homers and five runs total in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-5 setback on May 29.
Imanaga, 32, is 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA in five career appearances (all starts) against St. Louis.
–Field Level Media
