CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie JJ Wetherholt homered and doubled, Kyle Leahy threw five crisp innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 at on Saturday night for their third straight victory.
Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson each had RBIs to help St. Louis win for the fifth time in six, and hand the Cubs a second straight loss following a five-game winning streak.
Wetherholt also singled and walked as the third-place Cardinals a half- game behind second-place Chicago in the NL Central.
The game was delayed by fog starting for 15 minutes after the sixth inning with the Cardinals ahead 2-0.
The rare Saturday night contest at the iconic North Side ballpark started an hour late due to rain, then fog billowed in beginning the second inning and got denser. Players seemed to struggle tracking fly balls, but there were no misplays.
Leahy (7-4) allowed three singles, while striking out six and walking two. Relievers George Soriano, Ryne Stanek, JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien — who tossed the ninth for his 22nd save — each pitched a scoreless inning.
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (5-7) gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Chicago All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, reached base four times with a hit, two walks and a hit by pitch.
Wetherholt laced an opposite-field shot on the first pitch of the game to set a Cardinals record of four leadoff homers by a rookie. It was his 13th homer overall.
Herrera had an RBI single up the middle to make it 2-0. All-Star Jordan Walker doubled to lead off the eighth, then scored on Burleson’s hit.
With two outs in the seventh and a runner on, Dansby Swanson lofted a drive off Stanek that Lars Nootbar caught against the left-center wall.
Up next
Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore (4-5, 5.33 ERA) was set to oppose RHP Javier Assad (6-1, 4.53) on Sunday in the series finale.
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