CHICAGO — Gusting out of St. Louis on a winning streak after a clean sweep of San Diego, the Cardinals were reminded abruptly how fast the winds can change at Wrigley Field.
Even when it’s not windy at all.
In their first visit to Chicago — late enough in the season that the ivy is green and flourishing, even if the home club is not — the Cardinals trailed five pitches into the bottom of the first inning. The Cubs hit three home runs by the start of the fourth inning, and with the wind knocked out of them the Cardinals spent most of the game playing catchup in a 7-5 loss to the Cubs on Thursday. Harrison Bader’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning would have been much more dramatic had Kodi Whitley not allowed two inherited runners to score in the bottom of the eighth.
