Patrick Wisdom and Yan Gomes homered to help Justin Steele and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-4 on Wednesday night, ending a three-game losing streak.
Steele (6-0) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out three and walking three. He and Clayton Kershaw are the only National League six-game winners.
“I felt really good tonight,” Steele said after 14 consecutive starts without surrendering more than two earned runs. “I had all my pitches working. Fun game.”
After losing eight straight, St. Louis won three consecutive with Nolan Arenado’s first triple.
Six runs in five innings cost Jordan Montgomery (2-5) his fifth loss in six starts. He loaded the bases in the second with two walks but caught Christopher Morel looking at a third strike to escape.
An inning later, Wisdom launched his 12th homer, a two-run shot that put the Cubs up. Gomes added a two-run homer an inning later after being returned from the seven-day concussion disabled list.
Gomes helped a struggling Cubs offense get 14 hits. “This game is contagious and momentum is important. We hope it goes our way now.”
Dansby Swanson’s two-run double off Drew VerHagen opened the game in Chicago’s three-run sixth. Morel had two RBI singles while Trey Mancini had three walks and three runs.
Arenado’s first-inning triple and Willson Contreras’ third-inning single gave Montgomery a 2-0 lead.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, “Today the game got away from us on the pitching side but overall, we still feel pretty good about some of the pieces coming together. “Series win.”
POND SIDE
The NL Central rivals play two games in London in late June to resume their season series. London Stadium, the 2012 Summer Olympics track and field venue, will host the Cardinals.
Hi again
After scoring the Cardinals’ second run, Contreras was booed. The former Cubs catcher waved to right-field fans and struck out swinging an inning later. He went 1–4 with two strikeouts.
TRAINING ROOM
Cubs: C Gomes replaced Miguel Amaya, who was sent to Triple-A Iowa.
Up next
RHP Adam Wainwright (0-0, 7.20 ERA) meets LHP James Paxton in his 2023 debut Friday night in Boston after the Cardinals have an off day.
Thursday is Cubs off day. On Friday in Minnesota, LHP Drew Smyly (3-1, 3.05 ERA) will face RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.35).
