Justin Steele pitched effectively, allowing only three hits into the seventh inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 on Sunday night. This win marked their fourth victory in their last five games.
Mike Tauchman and Miguel Amaya both hit home runs in the sixth inning, each contributing two hits and two runs to help the Cubs come back from an early 2-0 deficit. The Cubs won three out of four games against their NL Central rival at Wrigley Field.
St. Louis rookie Masyn Winn hit a two-run homer in the third inning, which was the only scoring off Steele. This home run was Winn’s ninth of the season and his third in the last six games, as well as his second of the series.
“Justin today… was really crisp for the first two innings,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He fell behind Masyn Winn and kind of recovered from that and was really sharp the rest of the day.”
Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger had RBIs, helping the Cubs take the lead with two runs in the fifth inning. Dansby Swanson also drove in a run, and another run came in due to a balk by Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.
Steele (3-5) bounced back from a poor performance in Cincinnati last Tuesday, retiring 12 straight Cardinals batters at one point. The left-hander struck out six and walked two in 6 2/3 innings before being replaced by Porter Hodge after throwing 99 pitches on a humid evening.
“Even with the homer I gave up, I feel like I was still pitching somewhat decent,” Steele said. “But I felt throughout the entire game, for the most part, I was in control where the ball was going. I was commanding the ball.”
Julian Merryweather closed the game with a perfect ninth inning, retiring the side on six pitches to complete a combined four-hitter.
Tauchman played left field in place of Ian Happ, who was scratched from the lineup due to left shoulder soreness. Happ, a two-time Gold Glove winner, got injured while crashing into the outfield wall on Saturday while trying to make a catch.
Before Sunday night, Tauchman’s most recent at-bat was on Thursday, when he pinch-hit in the ninth inning and hit a game-ending double to secure Chicago’s 5-4 comeback win.
“You just stay ready,” Tauchman said. “I want to win with this group. I believe in this group. Whatever role that ends up being, it just kind of is what it is.”
Mikolas (8-9) allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks over four-plus innings.
Winn’s home run just made it into the basket in right-center, giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead. His previous home run, on Thursday, also barely reached the basket, but on the left side.
The Cubs tied the game 2-2 in the fourth inning. Isaac Paredes scored from third base on a groundout by Swanson. Tauchman, who had doubled, also scored from third on a balk by Mikolas.
The balk was called by plate umpire Clint Vondrak for an illegal movement toward the plate.
“I was engaged and I was moving, but I moved my back foot first,” Mikolas said. “I asked the first base umpire, ‘I’m allowed to step off whenever I want?’ He said, ‘Yes.’
“And so where is the balk? I didn’t have a chance to talk to the home plate umpire in the moment, either. I was a little confused, a little frustrated.”
Chicago went ahead 4-2 in the fifth inning. The Cubs took the lead with three consecutive singles, ending with Busch’s RBI hit. Mikolas walked Seiya Suzuki to load the bases and was replaced by John King. Bellinger then hit a sacrifice fly.
Tauchman led off the sixth inning with his sixth home run, and Amaya followed with his fourth, helping Chicago pull away.
