The St. Louis Cardinals secured a crisp 3-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night at Wrigley Field, delivering a strong all-around performance in the second game of their weekend series.
Rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt ignited the offense early, crushing a solo home run to left-center in the first inning off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. The 364-foot blast staked St. Louis to a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals extended their advantage in the third inning when Nathan Church came around to score on Ivan Herrera’s RBI single, with Wetherholt reaching base ahead of him. They added an insurance tally in the eighth as Alec Burleson laced an RBI single to right, plating Jordan Walker.
Pitching dominance seals the shutout
Kyle Leahy turned in an excellent outing for St. Louis, throwing five scoreless innings. He scattered three hits, issued two walks, and struck out six, effectively neutralizing Chicago’s lineup. The Cardinals’ bullpen was equally sharp, with George Soriano, Ryne Stanek, JoJo Romero, and Riley O’Brien combining for four hitless, scoreless innings to preserve the victory.
Imanaga pitched well in a losing effort, allowing two runs on four hits over 4⅔ innings while recording eight strikeouts. Chicago’s relievers kept the deficit manageable, but the Cubs’ offense managed just five hits total and failed to cash in with runners in scoring position.
Standout performances and game notes
- Wetherholt went 3-for-4 with a homer and continued his hot start against the Cubs.
- Burleson contributed two hits and the go-ahead RBI.
- St. Louis recorded eight hits without committing an error, while the Cubs left eight runners on base.
The win pushed the Cardinals to 46-39, keeping them competitive in the NL Central race. The Cubs dropped to 49-39.
The series concludes Sunday as the Cardinals aim to take three of four from their division rivals at the Friendly Confines.
