Moss, Peralta power Cardinals past Cubs

[June 21, 2016]  CHICAGO -- Brandon Moss and Jhonny Peralta each homered and starter Jaime Garcia tossed seven strong innings as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals claimed a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

The Cardinals (36-33) snapped the Cubs' three-game winning streak and trimmed their gap to 11 1/2 games behind Chicago in the NL Central race in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs (47-21) maintained baseball's best record despite the setback.

Garcia (5-6) departed with two outs in the seventh inning after Jason Heyward reached base on an infield single. He worked 6 2/3 innings, allowed two runs on six hits, walked two and struck out six.

Trevor Rosenthal permitted three baserunners in a shaky but successful ninth to claim his 13th save of the season.

Cubs starter John Lackey (7-3) lost for the first time in three starts this season against his former team and suffered his first setback since May 11 against San Diego. He worked six innings, allowed three earned runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking three.

Aledmys Diaz and Kolten Wong each had two hits for the Cardinals. Ben Zobrist had three hits to pace the Cubs.

The Cardinals tried to pad the lead in the ninth as Diaz was tagged at the plate by Cubs catcher Willson Contreras for the final out after trying to score on Jedd Gyorko's double to deep left center.

Moss gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead with one out in the second inning, launching Lackey's 0-2 pitch to right field for a solo home run. The blast was Moss' 16th of the season.

Lackey then gave up a single to Wong, walked Matt Carpenter and surrendered a two-out run-scoring single to Diaz for a 2-0 lead.

A walk to Matt Holliday loaded the bases for Stephen Piscotty, who popped to center to end the threat.

Peralta made it 3-0 in the third inning when he sent Lackey's first pitch to the left-field bleachers for his second home run of the year.

Cardinals third baseman Jhonny Peralta (27) tags out Chicago Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. (5) at third base during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Cubs got two runs back in the bottom of the frame as Kris Bryant's one-out double to left scored Zobrist from first. Bryant advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on a single by Contreras, who was making his first big league start.

NOTES: Monday's tilt kicks off the Cardinals' nine-day, eight-game road trip that will also feature stops in Seattle and Kansas City. ... St. Louis is finally making its first trip to Wrigley Field after playing six previous games against Chicago at Busch Stadium. It's the latest the Cardinals have played their first series of the season here since 2008. ... St. Louis minor league affiliates in Springfield, Mo. (Double-A) and Peoria Ill. (Class A) clinched first-half titles in their respective leagues on Sunday. ... The Cubs placed OF Dexter Fowler on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to June 19) with a right hamstring injury and recalled RHP Carl Edwards Jr. from Triple-A Iowa. ... Chicago entered the series with a 12 1/2-game lead on St. Louis, marking its largest division/league advantage since holding a 12 1/2-game lead on Sept. 19, 1929. ... The Cardinals will send RHP Adam Wainwright (4-6, 3.93 ERA) against Cubs RHP Jason Hammel (7-2, 2.26 ERA) in Tuesday's contest. The series wraps up with an afternoon game on Wednesday.

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