CHICAGO — Gusting out of St. Louis on a winning streak after a clean sweep of San Diego, the Cardinals were reminded abruptly how fast the winds can change at Wrigley Field.
Even when it’s not windy at all.
In their first visit to Chicago — late enough in the season that the ivy is green and flourishing, even if the home club is not — the Cardinals trailed five pitches into the bottom of the first inning. The Cubs hit three home runs by the start of the fourth inning, and with the wind knocked out of them the Cardinals spent most of the game playing catchup in a 7-5 loss to the Cubs on Thursday. Harrison Bader’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning would have been much more dramatic had Kodi Whitley not allowed two inherited runners to score in the bottom of the eighth.
Bader’s blast to center meant the decisive run in the game scored on a bases-load walk.
The Cubs got four of their runs, five extra-base hits, and three home runs off rookie Matthew Liberatore (1-1). Cubs starter Keegan Thompson had a seven-pitch first inning and, despite a hiccup that tied the game briefly, finished 5⅓ innings to improve to 6-0.
The Cardinals briefly tied the game in the top of the third inning when Paul Goldschmidt, a favorite to win the National League’s player of the month award for May, didn’t let a new page on the calendar slow his production. Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 24 games with an RBI double in the third. He scored Bader, and then Goldschmidt scored on Nolan Arenado’s RBI single to level the game, 2-2.
Goldschmidt’s 24-game hitting streak is the longest active streak in the majors. He has reached base safely in 38 consecutive games.
That is the longest since Matt Holliday’s 47 consecutive that ended June 2015.
The fallout from this winter’s 99-day lockout that delayed the start of Major League Baseball’s regular season found the Cardinals and Cubs this weekend. The two-game series at Wrigley, originally scheduled for early April, part of the Cardinals’ season-opening road trip, had to be transplanted elsewhere into the calendar.
One game was plopped into this series, another dropped into an August visit.
With a doubleheader Saturday, the Cardinals and Cubs will have five games in four days. The Cubs will have two doubleheaders in the span of six days, and the Cardinals must find a way to stretch a thinned rotation to cover its share of at least 45 innings. To fortify the staff, the Cardinals brought Jake Woodford and prospect Zack Thompson from Class AAA Memphis to be a taxi squad for the weekend. One or both could start in Saturday’s doubleheader.
Andre Pallante could start one of those games.
Drew VerHagen could, too.
It all depends on if they need innings covered before then.
If. If. If.
If was answered by the fourth inning Thursday.
The abbreviated start from Liberatore pressed right-hander Nick Wittgren into extended duty just a day after getting his first save of the season. Wittgren, lefty T.J. McFarland, and right-hander Kodi Whitley carved up the final 5⅓ innings of the game to score an innings victory for the Cardinals. Wittgren pitched 2⅔ innings and bridged the game through the middle to avoid scrambling the rest of the bullpen just to get through the game. The Cardinals got only four of a planned six outs from McFarland and had to call on Whitley to push for a second day.
Wittgren allowed a series of singles and one run that helped the Cubs widen their lead to 5-2. The Cardinals answered by turning a series of walks into a run in the sixth. Juan Yepez’s one-out walk was followed by a walk to Brendan Donovan that chased Thompson from the game. The first Cubs reliever into the mix walked Albert Pujols to load the bases. Yader Molina’s groundout got one run home, but the inning fizzled faster than it developed. The Cardinals stalled with a two-run deficit.
Liberatore’s welcome to Wrigley was shorter than the Cardinals needed and the hits he allowed longer than hoped.
Before the rookie left-hander had his first career out in the long-running rivalry, the Cubs had a lead. Cubs leadoff hitter Christopher Morel, fresh off his walk-off RBI to end Wednesday’s win against Milwaukee, greeted Liberatore with a double off the left-field wall. Three pitches later, on an 0-2 count, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras lifted a curveball into the left-field bleachers. Two batters later, the Cubs had another double. Liberatore slipped out of the first inning having allowed only the two runs, but a theme emerged.
The first five hits the lefty allowed went for extra bases.
After the two doubles and home run in the first inning, Liberatore allowed a home run to Frank Schwindel in the third inning. Liberatore’s first pitch of the fourth inning was sent over the basket in center field for another homer, this one from Ian Happ.
The lefty did not get to make the last pitch of the fourth inning.
His start complicated by six hits and three walks, Liberatore threw 80 pitches before he got 10th out. And that out came only because of the rare sighting of a sacrifice bunt. After Liberatore walked a batter and allowed a single, the Cubs’ No. 9 hitter, Nick Madrigal, dropped a bunt to move his teammates into scoring position. First base wasn’t lonely for long. Liberatore walked Morel to load the bases and end his evening.
The bases-loaded mess was Wittgren’s to clean, and for the second time in as many days, he did not allow any of the three inherited runners to score. On Wednesday, back in St. Louis, he got the save for closing out the game with the bases loaded. On Thursday, up in Chicago, he had to get two outs and did so from the top of the Cubs’ order without the ball leaving the infield.
