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 But one thing was certain on Monday night, the 32-year-old
Cardinals right-hander became a 20-game winner for the second time
since 2010.
Wainwright threw seven shutout innings while becoming the major
league's second 20-game winner this year, and the Cardinals beat the
Chicago Cubs 8-0.
"It's a notch on the belt for sure, a tremendous honor," he said.
"But more importantly, it's a big win for our team. (Second-place)
Pittsburgh is playing such good baseball right now that we've got to
take every game so serious."
Wainwright (20-9) scattered three hits, struck out eight and walked
one in the series opener at Wrigley Field.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw earned his 20th
victory Friday, also at Wrigley Field.
"He was as good as he's been here in the last several starts," said
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. "You look over the last five years
and I think he went 19, 20, 14, 19, 20 (wins). Wow. I hope he
realizes how special that is. He's in a very elite group."
 The Cardinals (88-69) claimed their eighth win in 10 games and
maintained a 2 1/2 game lead over Pittsburgh atop the National
League Central with five games to play. The Pirates kept pace with a
1-0 victory over the Braves in Atlanta on Monday.
Left-hander Travis Wood (8-13) took the loss as the Cubs (69-88)
dropped their second straight game and fourth in the past five.
"I did feel better about it than the numbers," Wood said. "I made
some good pitches tonight. The pitches were sharp, they got the hits
when they needed them -- dropped a couple in that were perfectly
placed."
The Cardinals scored four runs in the fourth and added three in the
fifth to chase Wood.
Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay went 2-for-4 with a game-high three
RBIs. First baseman Matt Adams added two hits and two RBIs.
The Cardinals got to Wood in the fourth inning. Back-to-back singles
by right fielder Randal Grichuk and left fielder Matt Holliday put
runners at first and second with none out.
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Shortstop Jhonny Peralta lined a base hit just past a sprinting Cubs
left fielder Chris Coghlan to score Grichuk. Catcher Yadier Molina
then singled home Holliday for a 2-0 lead.
Molina advanced to second on an error while Peralta was perched at
third. Both came home on Jay's one-out single to shallow left for a
4-0 lead.
A fifth-inning Holliday hit to right scored third baseman Matt
Carpenter as St. Louis opened a 5-0 lead. Adams' two-out single
drove in Holliday and Peralta for a 7-0 advantage.
Wood was finished after five innings. He gave up seven runs (six
earned) on eight hits, struck out eight and walked two.
Jay singled home Adams in the eighth.
NOTES: Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter and 1B Matt Adams were back in
the lineup Monday after each missed two games as a flu bug spread
through the clubhouse. The virus affected at least 10 players over
the weekend but appeared to have mostly abated. ... St. Louis
traditionally struggles under the lights at Wrigley Field, entering
the series with a 13-31 all-time record in those conditions. ... The
Cardinals send RHP Shelby Miller (10-9, 3.68 ERA) against the Cubs
RHP Kyle Hendricks (7-2, 2.28 ERA) on Tuesday in the series' middle
game. ... Cubs INF Mike Olt and 2B Arismendy Alcantara became the
first Cubs rookies with 10-plus homers in a season since 2008, when
Jake Fox (11) and Micah Hoffpauir (10) reached double figures.
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