ST. LOUIS — Waiting out a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay on Sunday night was worth it for Paul Goldschmidt and the Cardinals.
After the long wait before the game finally started at 8:43 p.m., Goldschmidt hit a pair of two-run homers to provide just enough runs for the Cardinals to beat the Cubs for their season-high fifth consecutive win.
The victory capped a 7-1 homestand and gave the Cardinals their 10th win in their last 12 games as they climbed back to just one game under .500 at 25-26.
For the second night in a row, the top three relievers for the Cardinals made it interesting. Ian Happ hit a pair of home runs himself to pull the Cubs within one run and they had the would-be tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth before Ryan Helsley was able to get out of the jam.
Here is how Sunday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Alec Burleson singled in front of Goldschmidt’s first home run in the third and in the fifth, Brendan Donovan reached on a walk before Goldschmidt connected again with his sixth homer of the season … Masyn Winn singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest by a Cardinals’ hitter this season … Winn also extended his streak to 28 consecutive plate appearances without striking out, dating back to May 15.
On the mound: Sonny Gray allowed just one hit over five innings when he was pulled after throwing just 74 pitches. He walked two and struck out eight in improving to 7-2 on the season … Andrew Kittredge gave up Happ’s first homer, a two-run shot in the seventh … The Cubs loaded the bases against JoJo Romero in the eighth before he was able to get out of the jam … Happ led off the ninth with his second home run, off Helsley. Two two-out singles followed before a flyout ended the game and secured Helsley’s 17th save.
Key stat: In going 7-1 on the homestand against the Red Sox, Orioles and Cubs, with one game rained out, the Cardinals scored 45 runs, an average of 5.62 runs a game. In winning 10 of their last 12 games, they have scored an average of 5.67 runs a game over that stretch.
Worth noting: Lars Nootbaar was in the original lineup but was scratched as a precautionary move after he was said to be suffering from a tight hamstring … An error by Winn extended the Cardinals' streak to 11 consecutive games with at least one error, their longest since they made at least one error in the first 14 games of the 1976 season … Happ has now hit 24 home runs against the Cardinals in 100 games in his career … The Cardinals made a roster move before the game, putting reliever Nick Robertson on the injured list because of right elbow inflammation and bringing Andre Pallante back after he spent the last month at Triple A Memphis.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will have a quick turnaround after Sunday night’s late game, playing at 3:10 p.m. St. Louis time on Monday in Cincinnati. Lance Lynn is the scheduled starter. It’s the opener of a nine-game, 10-day trip that also includes stops in Philadelphia and Houston.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains.
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