Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman hit two-run homers as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting Chicago Cubs 8-2 Monday evening.

Willson Contreras went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored for the Cardinals, who won for the sixth time in their last seven games to move within 3 1/2 games of the National League Central-leading Cubs.

St. Louis starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (5-6) allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Pete Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Carson Kelly went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Cubs, who lost for the fourth time in their last five games.

Losing pitcher Ben Brown (4-6) allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five-plus innings.

Liberatore retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced with Kelly’s second-inning single the lone blemish.

The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when Contreras hit a two-out double and Nootbaar followed with his homer.

The Cubs cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fifth inning. Crow-Armstrong led off with a double and scored on Kelly’s single. After Nico Hoerner hit a single, the runners advanced on a groundout.

Matt Shaw walked to load the bases, but Liberatore prevented further trouble by getting Ian Happ to ground into an inning-ending double play.

St. Louis increased its lead to 6-1 in the fifth inning. Pedro Pages walked with one out and Donovan followed with a two-out homer.

After Masyn Winn walked, Burleson launched his homer to right field. Contreras extended the inning with a single before Brown coaxed Nootbaar’s inning-ending groundout.

Nolan Arenado led off the sixth inning with a single and Gorman followed with his two-run shot to make it 8-1 and chase Brown.

The Cubs responded with one more run in the seventh inning. Crow-Armstrong doubled to lead off the inning, moved to third on Hoerner’s one-out single and scored on Justin Turner’s sacrifice fly.

–Field Level Media