CHICAGO — The Cardinals continued their red-hot start coming out of the All-Star break behind a strong outing from left-hander Steven Matz, and closed the gap between them and their rivals the Chicago Cubs in the process.
Jordan Walker and Paul DeJong smashed home runs as part of a 10-hit attack that saw the Cardinals oust Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman before the end of the fourth inning on their way to a 7-2 win in the first game of a four-game set at Wrigley Field on Thursday night.
The Cardinals (44-53) extended their win streak to six in a row and 9 of their last 11 games as they’ve pulled to within 1 ½ games of the Cubs (45-51) for third place in the NL Central Division.
The series opener against the Cubs marked the start of a 41-game stretch for the Cardinals when they’ll play 29 times against teams with records below .500. They’ll try to continue their midsummer push for contention that has come just as the front office declared its intentions to use the Aug. 1 trade deadline to begin shaping the 2024 roster.
Matz (1-7) earned his first win since a relief outing against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 17, 2022. This season, he made 10 starts before his demotion to the bullpen.
Since returning to the rotation, he’s made two addition starts before Thursday night. His first win of this season came in his 13th start and 21st appearance.
Walker went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Walker became the seventh-youngest Cardinal to homer at Wrigley Field (21 years, 59 days), and the youngest since Ted Simmons (age 21 years, 38 days) on Sept. 16, 1970.
Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
Matz pitches well in Chicago again
Matz made his return to the rotation in the final game before the All-Star break on the Southside of Chicago against the White Sox on July 9. In his first start since being demoted to the bullpen, Matz allowed one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings. Because he hadn’t made a start in weeks, he was limited to 75 pitches. He struck out nine in that outing.
In his first start after the All-Star break, Matz did not experience a similar level of success. He allowed four runs on four hits, including two home runs, in 4 1/3 innings against the Washington Nationals. He walked three and struck out four in that start.
Through three innings on Thursday, Matz allowed just one hit and struck out four batters.
The only run he allowed came in the fourth inning after a fly ball was misplayed and fell for a double in shallow right field. Matz still nearly stranded that runner, but he gave up a drive to right field by Yan Gomes with two outs. Walker made a diving attempt at a catch, but the ball caromed past him for an RBI triple.
Instead of being out of the inning unscathed – the runner that scored reached on the fly ball that should have been caught – the Cubs got their first run. Matz held them to one run in the frame and stranded a man on third base.
Contreras comes back to Wrigley
Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, who spent his career in the Cubs organization up until this winter, made his second trip to Wrigley Field as a member of the Cardinals. He caught for the first time against his old team.
He went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two walks in his old stomping grounds.
The Cardinals had just taken Contreras out of everyday catching duties when they came to Wrigley Field on May 8-10.
He also played against the Cubs in the two-game London Series.
Entering the day, Contreras had gone 7-for-19 in five games against the Cubs. He went 2-for-4 with a double and the game-winning RBI in his first game back at Wrigley on May 8.
Prior to Thursday’s game, Contreras received a round of boos from the crowd at Wrigley when the starting lineups were announced over the public address system.
In his first at-bat of the game, Contreras hit an RBI double to left field with two outs in the first inning to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
O’Neill reclaims left field job
Left Tyler O’Neill returned from the injured list (lower back strain) and went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and a run scored in his first major-league action in more than two months.
O’Neill, who started in center field on Opening Day, has not played since May 4. He went on the injured list with a lower back strain on May 5. O’Neill played in eight games for Triple-A Memphis in a minor-league rehab assignment from July 4-July 20.
Prior to his stint on the IL, O’Neill appeared in 29 games this season he slashed .228/.283/.337 with two home runs in 99 plate appearances.
He’s now two year removed from the most productive season of his career in 2021. That season, he slashed .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs, 15 stolen bases, won the NL Gold Glove in left field and finished eighth in the MVP voting.
Short night for Stroman
Stroman entered the game with a 2.88 ERA and had allowed two runs or fewer in 20 of his last 27 starts. However, the Cardinals had gotten to him in their most recent previous matchup in London on June 25. Stroman allowed six runs (three earned) on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Thursday night, the Cardinals scored in the first inning on Contreras’ two-out double. They kept the pressure on Stroman in the second and third innings, though they stranded four runners in those two innings – including the bases loaded in the second.
They chased Stroman from the game with a four-run fourth inning that featured an O’Neill double, a two-run home run by Walker and a two-run double by Arenado.
Stroman allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits, including a home run, and four walks in 3 2/3 innings.
