CHICAGO — Justin Steele pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Chicago Cubs topped the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 on Sunday night for their fourth win in five games.
Mike Tauchman and Miguel Amaya both homered in the sixth and finished with two hits and two runs scored to help the Cubs overcome an early 2-0 deficit. Chicago took three of four from its NL Central rival at Wrigley Field.
St. Louis rookie Masyn Winn lofted a two-run homer in the third for the only scoring off Steele. The shortstop’s ninth home run was his third in six games and second of the series.
“Justin today… was really crisp for the first two innings,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He fell behind Masyn Winn and kind of recovered from that and was really sharp the rest of the day.”
Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger had RBIs as Chicago pulled ahead with two runs in the fifth. Dansby Swanson drove in a run and the Cubs plated another on a balk by Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.
Steele (3-5) rebounded from a rough outing at Cincinnati last Tuesday, retiring 12 straight Cardinals hitters during one stretch. The left-hander struck out six and walked two in 6 2/3 innings before being relieved by Porter Hodge after throwing 99 pitches on a humid evening.
“Even with the homer I gave up, I feel like I was still pitching somewhat decent,” Steele said. “But I felt throughout the entire game, for the most part, I was in control where the ball was going. I was commanding the ball.”
Julian Merryweather tossed a 1-2-3 ninth, retiring the side on six pitches to finish a combined four-hitter.
Tauchman started in left field as the replacement for Ian Happ, a late scratch with left shoulder soreness. Happ, a two-time Gold Glove winner, got banged up crashing into the outfield wall in the ninth inning on Saturday trying to make a catch.
Heading into Sunday night, Tauchman’s previous at-bat was on Thursday, when he pinch-hit in the ninth and delivered a game-ending double to cap Chicago’s 5-4 comeback win.
“You just stay ready,” Tauchman said. “I want to win with this group. I believe in this group. Whatever role that ends up being, it just kind of is what it is.”
Mikolas (8-9) yielded four runs on eight hits and two walks in four-plus innings.
Winn’s homer barely carried into the basket in right-center and put St. Louis ahead 2-0. His previous shot, on Thursday, narrowly reached the basket in left.
The Cubs tied it 2-all in the fourth. Isaac Paredes scored from third on Swanson’s groundout. Tauchman, who had doubled, came home from third on Mikolas’ balk.
The balk was called by plate umpire Clint Vondrak for an illegal movement toward the plate.
“I was engaged and I was moving, but I moved my back foot first,” Mikolas said. “I asked the first base umpire, ‘I’m allowed to step off whenever I want?’ He said, ‘Yes.’
“And so where is the balk? I didn’t have a chance to talk to the home plate umpire in the moment, either. I was a little confused, a little frustrated.”
Chicago moved ahead 4-2 in the fifth. The Cubs took the lead with three straight singles capped by Busch’s RBI hit.
Mikolas walked Seiya Suzuki to load the bases and was relieved by John King. Bellinger followed with a sacrifice fly.
Tauchman hit his sixth homer leading off the sixth, then Amaya added his fourth as Chicago pulled away.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: Placed rookie CF Michael Siani (right oblique strain) on the 10-day IL and recalled OF Victor Scott II from Triple-A Memphis. St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol wasn’t sure how long the speedy Siani will be sidelined. … Lars Nootbaar started in center.
Cubs: Counsell said Happ is day-to-day and his injury doesn’t appear to be serious.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP André Pallante (4-5, 4.04 ERA) faces Mets LHP Sean Manaea (7-4, 3.50) in St. Louis on Monday in a makeup of a May 8 rainout.
Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (3-9, 6.86) takes the mound against Twins RHP David Festa (1-2, 6.98) at Wrigley Field on Monday night.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
