Sunday’s Game Report: Cubs 6, Cardinals 4

By Rob Rains

One bad inning cost the Cardinals a chance of completing a series sweep over the Cubs on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

A three-run homer by Jordan Walker, his 20^th of the season, had flipped the game from a 2-0 deficit to a 3-2 lead for the Cardinals in the top of the sixth inning but that lead disappeared in the bottom of the inning.

Matt Svanson relieved Matthew Liberatore with runners on first and second and nobody out, then gave up an RBI single that tied the game.

A popup followed and then Svanson got a ground ball that might have been an inning-ending double play, but a bad throw by Jose Fermin instead brought in the go-ahead run.

More trouble followed, as a throwing error by Walker after a sacrifice fly brought in the fourth run of the inning and put the Cubs in front 6-3.

Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:

At the plate: The Cardinals had been shut out through five innings on just two hits, both coming in the second when they loaded the bases before Bryan Torres popped out to end the inning … In the sixth, JJ Wetherholt led off with a single and with one out Alec Burleson singled in front of Walker’s home run … Walker added his fourth RBI with a sacrifice fly in the eighth that drove in Wetherholt, who reached base with his second hit of the game and advanced to third on Burleson’s second single … The Cardinals got the tying run to the plate in the ninth when Masyn Winn walked to lead off the inning, but Nathan Church popped out, Fermin struck out and Nelson Velazquez lined out to end the game.

On the mound: Liberatore allowed two runs in the first inning but then did not allow another hit until the sixth. A leadoff walk and a single put the two runners on base before Liberatore was pulled in favor of Svanson … Svanson allowed both inherited runners to score and gave up the final two runs of the inning, but only one of the runs was earned because of the two errors … Ryan Fernandez kept it a two-run game with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Key stat: Walker became the first Cardinal with 20 homers and 10 stolen bases before the All-Star break since Albert Pujols in 2009. The only other player in franchise history to hit those marks in the first 87 games of the season was Rogers Hornsby in 1922.

Worth noting: Former first-round draft pick Cooper Hjerpe, who had missed nearly two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery, started for Double A Springfield on Sunday night and had a rough outing, allowing four runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Up next: The Cardinals return home on Monday night to open a five-game, four-day series against the division-leading Brewers. The series includes a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday to make up an earlier rainout. Dustin May will move up a day to make the start on Monday night, with Michael McGreevy sliding back a day to pitch one of the games in the doubleheader.

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