ST. LOUIS — Masyn Winn played a pivotal role in securing a narrow 8-7 victory for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday evening. The win marks the Cardinals’ seventh triumph in their last eight outings, demonstrating a late surge in their season.
Cardinals’ pitcher Michael McGreevy faced some challenges during the game, giving up five runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings, along with one strikeout and one walk. Steven Matz stepped in for 1 1/3 innings of relief work, and Ryan Helsley successfully secured his 15th save out of 20 opportunities.
The Cubs are struggling, suffering their third consecutive defeat, which matches their season’s longest losing streak. Lars Nootbaar gave St. Louis an early edge with a two-run homer in the second inning, followed by Winn’s two-run blast that extended their lead in the third.
In the fourth inning, Nolan Gorman ignited a four-run comeback for the Cardinals with an impressive 432-foot leadoff home run, tying the game at 5-5. Winn later delivered a crucial two-run double, and Alec Burleson’s deep sacrifice fly allowed Winn to score, increasing the advantage to 8-5.
Chicago’s starting pitcher, Jameson Taillon, had a tough outing, surrendering eight runs on eight hits. Seiya Suzuki managed to pull the Cubs back with a three-run homer in the third inning, a 404-foot drive that followed Kyle Tucker’s two-run single, temporarily putting the Cubs ahead 5-2.
Nico Hoerner added excitement in the sixth with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot that brought the Cubs within one run at 8-7.
A critical moment occurred in the seventh inning when, with the Cubs trailing by a run and having runners on first and third with only one out, Crow-Armstrong’s bunt was expertly handled by JoJo Romero. Romero caught Tucker stationed at third, and Crow-Armstrong was thrown out. Subsequently, Alec Burleson showcased his defensive skills with a challenging catch along the right field line to thwart Dansby Swanson’s popup play.
Noteworthy is the Cardinals’ impressive form, having launched nine homers across their last four games, starkly contrasting with just 75 homers during their previous 77 games.
Looking ahead, the Cubs plan to pitch LHP Matthew Boyd, who holds a 6-3 record with a 2.84 ERA, while the Cardinals will counter with RHP Erick Fedde, carrying a 3-6 record and a 3.54 ERA, in their next match-up on Wednesday.