CHICAGO _ The offense that gave the Cardinals a chance to hold their best relievers back for the evening game left those same relievers no lead to hold and no margin for error.
The Cardinals rallied in the sixth inning to tie Wednesday's second game of a doubleheader only to see the game come undone in the top of the seventh and final inning at Wrigley Field. For the second time in this unusual series between two historic rivals, the Cardinals hosted the Cubs at Wrigley Field _ and remained unable to take advantage of the un-home field advantage.
The Cubs scored twice in the top of the seventh to take a 4-2 win in Game 2 and split Wednesday's doubleheader. The Cardinals won 9-3 in Game 1, thanks to a first-inning grand slam from Matt Carpenter and two more RBIs from Brad Miller.
Miller had the game-tying RBI in Game 2 to give him three for the day and nine in the two doubleheaders played at Wrigley this week.
Rookie Johan Oviedo became the 11th Cardinal and eighth pitcher to make his major-league debut for the team when he started Game 2. He pitched five solid innings _ the first starter in the series to pitch that far into a game. Oviedo struck out four and allowed two runs on two hits and two walks. He threw 89 pitches and likely helped the bullpen recover enough to be sturdier for the start of a four-game series against the Reds.
With runs added late in Game 1, the Cardinals were able to keep their late-inning right-left punch, Giovanny Gallegos and Andrew Miller, available for the evening game.
Both threw decisive pitches in the Cubs' rally.
Gallegos inherited a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh from Miller, and the righthander was able to get ahead 0-2 on Cubs batter David Bote. The next pitch Gallegos threw hung up and Bote lined it to center for a two-run single that proved the difference.
The Cubs opened a 2-0 lead on the Cardinals in Game 2 with Victor Caratini's two-run single off Oviedo.
The Cardinals pecked away at the lead with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, and then capitalized in the sixth on two walks that put a rally in motion. Miller slashed a single to left field that scored Dylan Carlson from second to tie the game, 2-2.
The Cardinals finished their eight-game, five-day visit to Chicago with a 4-4 record. They split two doubleheaders with the Cubs and swept the doubleheader against the White Sox that started their return to play.
