Leahy, Bullpen Blank Cubs as Cardinals Win Series at Wrigley

The Cardinal Chronicle
Leahy, Bullpen Blank Cubs as Cardinals Win Series at Wrigley
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The St. Louis Cardinals did not need another 17-run explosion Saturday night at Wrigley Field.

They needed pitching.

They got it.

One night after hammering the Chicago Cubs 17-1 in the series opener, the Cardinals came back with a completely different kind of win, beating the Cubs 3-0 behind five scoreless innings from Kyle Leahy and four shutout innings from the bullpen.

That is how a club takes a series on the road.

Friday was loud. Saturday was controlled.

The Cardinals used a leadoff home run from JJ Wetherholt, timely RBI singles from Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson, and one of the cleaner pitching performances they have put together recently to beat Chicago for the second straight night. The win gave St. Louis the series at Wrigley Field and continued a strong response after taking two of three earlier in the week in Atlanta.

This was not the same kind of game as Friday.

It did not need to be.

The Cardinals had already shown they could win with thunder. Saturday night, they showed they could win with pitching, defense and just enough offense.

That may matter even more.

Wetherholt wasted no time giving St. Louis the lead. On the first pitch of the game, he drove a ball to left-center field for a leadoff home run, his latest reminder that he can change the tone of a game before an opponent has time to settle in.

It was a quick 1-0 lead.

Against Shota Imanaga, that mattered.

Imanaga still had swing-and-miss stuff working. He struck out eight Cardinals over 4 2/3 innings, but St. Louis forced him to work, made him throw pitches, and did enough damage to give Leahy a lead to protect.

Wetherholt was at the center of much of it.

He finished 3-for-4 with the home run, a run scored and an RBI. He also helped set up the Cardinals’ second run in the third inning after Nathan Church reached and came around to score on Herrera’s single to center field. Wetherholt moved to second on the play, and the Cardinals had stretched the lead to 2-0.

It was not a big inning.

It was enough.

That was the story of the night for the offense. The Cardinals did not bury Chicago with crooked numbers. They did not run the Cubs out of the ballpark again. They scored early, added on in the third, and found one more run in the eighth when Burleson singled to right to bring home Jordan Walker.

Three runs.

With the way the pitching staff performed, three was plenty.

Leahy gave the Cardinals exactly what they needed. He worked five scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out six. He threw 77 pitches, 45 for strikes, and kept the Cubs off balance enough to prevent Chicago from ever taking control of the game.

It was not just the line.

It was the timing.

The Cardinals’ bullpen had been asked to do a lot recently. Dustin May lasted only two-thirds of an inning Thursday night in Atlanta, forcing the relief corps to carry almost the entire game. Friday’s blowout helped ease some of that strain, but the Cardinals still needed a starter to give them structure Saturday.

Leahy did that.

He did not give the Cubs the big swing. He did not let traffic turn into trouble. He struck out six, worked through the few chances Chicago had, and handed the bullpen a shutout lead after five innings.

That is winning baseball.

The Cubs had opportunities, but they never cashed them in. Chicago finished with five hits and left eight runners on base. That is where the game was decided as much as anywhere. The Cubs put enough men aboard to make things interesting, but the Cardinals kept making the right pitch when the inning demanded it.

George Soriano took the sixth and was sharp, striking out two in a clean inning.

Ryan Stanek handled the seventh, allowing one hit but keeping the shutout intact.

JoJo Romero worked the eighth and had to pitch with traffic, allowing a hit and a walk, but he struck out two and kept Chicago from climbing back into the game.

Then Riley O’Brien closed it down in the ninth.

O’Brien worked around a walk, struck out one, and finished the Cardinals’ 3-0 win for his 22nd save of the season. It was not a high-drama ninth, but it was the kind of inning a club wants from the back end of the bullpen — take the ball, protect the lead, end the game.

That is exactly what he did.

For the Cardinals, the shutout was important because of the opponent and the moment.

Chicago came into the series ahead of St. Louis in the National League Central standings. The Cubs were at home, playing in front of a holiday weekend crowd at Wrigley Field, and trying to steady themselves after being embarrassed Friday afternoon.

The Cardinals did not let them.

Instead, St. Louis backed up a 17-1 win with a 3-0 shutout.

That is not easy to do.

Baseball has a way of snapping a team back to reality after a blowout. One day, everything falls in. The next day, the bats go quiet, the opponent responds, and the previous day’s win starts to feel like a one-game outlier.

The Cardinals made sure that did not happen.

They did not need another offensive avalanche. They needed a professional win.

They got one.

Wetherholt gave them the spark. Herrera gave them an important add-on. Burleson added insurance. Walker reached, scored and remained part of the pressure in the middle of the order. The Cardinals finished with eight hits and played clean defense behind the pitching staff.

That last part matters.

No errors. No giveaway inning. No late bullpen collapse.

Just a road shutout at Wrigley Field.

After some of the recent frustration around the offense, this weekend has been a good reminder that wins do not all have to look the same. Friday was about the lineup erupting. Saturday was about run prevention. Both count the same in the standings, but together they tell a better story.

The Cardinals are finding different ways to win.

That is what good teams have to do.

They cannot always count on 17 runs. They cannot always expect three home runs and a parade around the bases. Some nights require a starter to carry five innings, the bullpen to cover the final twelve outs, and the offense to take advantage of the few chances it gets.

Saturday was that kind of night.

Leahy earned the win and improved to 7-4. Imanaga took the loss for Chicago despite striking out eight. O’Brien picked up the save. The Cardinals improved to 47-39 and moved to 24-18 on the road, continuing to show they can carry their game outside Busch Stadium.

That is not a small thing.

The Cardinals have now won three straight games, taking the final game in Atlanta and the first two in Chicago. That is the kind of road stretch that can change the tone of a season, especially inside the division.

There is still one more game left in the series.

The Cardinals already have what they came for.

Now they have a chance to do more.

Friday was the blowout.

Saturday was the shutout.

Together, they made a statement at Wrigley Field.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB