Pete Crow-Armstrong and Christopher Morel each hit two home runs to help the Chicago Cubs secure an 8-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Tomas Nido and Ian Happ also homered for the Cubs, who split the four-game series with their NL Central rivals. Alec Burleson hit a home run for St. Louis.
Crow-Armstrong hit solo home runs in the third and fifth innings. Nido broke a 2-2 tie with his fourth home run of the season in the fifth.
The Cubs’ six home runs were the most since they hit seven on August 1, 2023, against Cincinnati. Entering the game with a .194 batting average and one home run, Crow-Armstrong also stole his 17th base of the season.
“I know I’ve struggled at the plate,” Crow-Armstrong admitted. “But today felt like things were clicking and I belonged here. It was a good day, maybe something in the air.”
Crow-Armstrong became the first Cubs player to hit two home runs from the No. 9 spot in the lineup since Ryan Lavarnway on July 19, 2019, against Cincinnati. “It was his best day in the majors, and it was enjoyable to watch,” said Chicago manager Craig Counsell.
Morel, who now has 18 home runs this season, hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning and a solo shot in the eighth. Chicago, winners of six of their last eight games, hit back-to-back home runs in both the fifth and eighth innings.
Jameson Taillon (7-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. “It wasn’t my best performance,” Taillon reflected. “But it showed we can compete with anyone. It’s a confidence booster for us.”
Chicago finished their seven-game road trip strongly, starting with a sweep of three games in Baltimore.
“We’ve been moving in the right direction for a while,” Crow-Armstrong added. “It’s satisfying when everything starts clicking.”
St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas (7-8) gave up six runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, including four home runs. Brendan Donovan had three hits and reached base four times for the Cardinals.
Ryan Helsley, the Cardinals’ lone All-Star, described the four-game series against Chicago as “a challenging and good series.” Helsley leads the majors with 32 saves.
