CHICAGO (AP) — Nathan Church and Masyn Winn hit three-run homers and the St. Louis Cardinals had 17 hits overall to cool off the Chicago Cubs 17-1 on Friday.
Winn and Alec Burleson had two hits and four RBIs each to help St. Louis win for the fourth time in its last five games and end NL Central rival Chicago’s five-game win streak. Ivan Herrera and Blaze Jordan had three hits each.
The loss comes after the Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 23-3 in their last game Wednesday.
The Cubs are the second team in MLB history to win one game by 15+ runs but then lose their next game by 15+ runs.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 3, 2026
The other was the Boston Beaneaters from September 10-11, 1894 - a 25-8 win followed by a 17-2 loss, both in Chicago against the Colts (the modern-day Cubs).
Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (10-5) limited the Cubs to five hits and one walk over 5 2/3 innings.
Church’s drive off David Peterson (4-7) in the second inning was his third in four games. The center fielder has eight RBIs in the span.
Alex Bregman had two hits and drove in the Cubs’ run with a double in the seventh inning.
Peterson gave up a career-high 10 earned runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings in his second start with the Cubs since being acquired from the Mets on June 25. The Cardinals went on to build a 17-0 lead, their biggest over an opponent since an 18-0 lead at Pittsburgh on May 22, 2022.
Peterson was struck in the shoulder by Jordan’s comebacker with two outs in the second, but remained in the game. The left-hander yielded Church’s drive to right on a down-the-middle curve in the next at-bat for a 3-0 St. Louis lead.
Peterson was tagged for three more runs in the third, then four in the fourth after walking the bases loaded.
Bryse Wilson relieved and allowed Winn’s homer, on an 0-2 pitch, that made it 11-0.
The Cardinals tacked on three runs off Wilson in the fifth, two more in the sixth and another in the seventh.
The game was delayed by 10 minutes by thunderstorms.
