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 Needing a win after four straight losses, the last two after blowing
four- and three-run leads, Chicago turned to Lester and the veteran
left-hander delivered.
Allowing just one earned run over seven innings, Lester helped the
Cubs hold off the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 at Busch Stadium, denying
them their longest winning streak in 11 years.
Although two errors -- including his dropped throw -- cost him three
unearned runs, Lester (2-2) threw well in his 106-pitch outing. He
allowed seven hits and walked two, striking out six.
Lester whiffed pinch-hitter Matt Adams with the potential go-ahead
runs in scoring position to end the sixth and slipped a called third
strike by first baseman Mark Reynolds with the tying run at second
to end the seventh.
"Things could have been easier," Lester said. "But this was a great
team win."
Chicago (14-12) never trailed, getting three RBIs from first baseman
Anthony Rizzo. Third baseman Kris Bryant and right fielder Jorge
Soler each went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Soler's eighth-inning single
driving Bryant home with what proved to be the winning run.
St. Louis (20-7) drew within a run in its half of the eighth on a
pinch-hit RBI single by Kolten Wong, then pressed the attack in the
ninth against closer Hector Rondon as it pushed runners to the
corners with one out.
But Rondon fanned Reynolds with a nasty 2-2 slider, then induced a
game-ending fielder's choice grounder from shortstop Jhonny Peralta
to snap the Cardinals' eight-game winning streak.
"I should have put the ball in play," Reynolds said. "It's easy to
defend a strikeout. We'll just wash our hands of this and go at it
again tomorrow."
St. Louis starter Lance Lynn (1-3) gave up eight hits and five runs
over six innings, walking two and whiffing six. Most of his trouble
came when confronted with Rizzo, who added to the Cubs' early lead
with two big hits.
Rizzo clouted a 424-foot solo shot over the Cardinals' bullpen in
the third for a 3-1 lead, then countered Peralta's 447-foot blast
that led off the fourth with a great piece of two-strike hitting in
the fifth.
When Lynn tried to bury a fastball in on Rizzo's hands and missed,
Rizzo lined it into the right-field corner for a two-run double that
scored second baseman Addison Russell and left fielder Chris Coghlan
for a 5-2 advantage.
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"In my opinion, he's one of the top five at-bats in baseball,"
Chicago manager Joe Maddon said of Rizzo. "He's one of the few major
league players with a legitimate two-strike approach. He concedes
and adapts."
Maddon wasn't around much longer after Rizzo's double, getting
ejected for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire D.J. Reyburn
in the sixth. It was Maddon's second heave-ho this year and the 40th
of his career.
"Egregiously bad," Maddon said of the ejection. "We're trying to
ascend and we're not taking that at any time from anybody. I won't
let these young guys get shortchanged."
Catcher Yadier Molina went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for St. Louis,
which lost for just the third time in 16 home games. The Cardinals
are 8-2 on their 11-game homestand that finishes Thursday.
NOTES: Chicago activated RHP Justin Grimm (right forearm
inflammation) from the 15-day DL and recalled OF Matt Szczur from
Triple-A Iowa. Grimm pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab
assignment Monday night for Iowa. ... St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia
(shoulder) will start a rehab stint Sunday at Triple-A Memphis,
where he's expected to throw around 80 pitches. Garcia has been on
the DL since March 27. ... The Cubs optioned OF Junior Lake to Iowa
and designated RHP Anthony Varvaro for assignment. Varvaro was
claimed off waivers from Boston on Sunday and was added to the
Chicago roster for Tuesday night's game, but didn't appear.
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