Seiya Suzuki supplied the punch, Clay Holmes supplied the dominance, and the Cubs turned a quiet Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field into a 3-0 win over the Cardinals.
Chicago improved to 72-51 by getting all three of its runs on Suzuki’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. It was the kind of swing that changes everything, especially in a game where both starting pitchers had been carrying no-hit bids deep into the afternoon.
Holmes delivered the sharper of the two outings. In front of the home crowd, he worked 6.2 shutout innings, allowed one hit and struck out three for his first win as a Cub. It was his 11th start of the season and his second since coming back from a fractured fibula, and it looked like the kind of performance that can matter in September and beyond.
The game stayed tight until the sixth, when the Cubs finally cracked Matt Liberatore. Tyrone Taylor opened the inning with a walk, Dansby Swanson followed with a single, and St.
Louis went to George Soriano to face Suzuki. The right fielder then jumped on a middle-inside changeup after running the count to 2-1 and launched it into the left-field bleachers for his 21st home run of the season.
Suzuki has been doing this for a while now. He’s been one of the best right-handed hitters in baseball this season and over the last three years, and his defensive work in right field has been strong too. As Mike Petriello of MLB.com pointed out, Suzuki is one of the 10 best right-handed hitters in the game right now.
Holmes’ outing also came with a moment he’ll remember. When he left in the sixth, Wrigley gave him a standing ovation, and he made sure to soak it in afterward.
“That’s what you imagine … what you hope for when you put on a Cubs jersey … It’s special. It’s iconic. To do it with this team and these guys that have been just so great at welcoming me in was a lot of fun.”
For a Cubs team that has now won eight of its last ten series, the timing couldn’t look much better. Chicago is 3.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, but it still holds a seven-game cushion for the top Wild Card spot. The Cubs are also 18-9 in the second half, with Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner both posting OPS marks above .900 since the All-Star break.
There’s more help on the way, too, with Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown getting close to returning. Craig Counsell said the mood in the clubhouse reflects the way the team has been playing.
"I think we're playing with a lot of confidence, for sure. Swagger (and) confidence."
The Cubs have looked sharper since sweeping the Dodgers last week, and this one added another layer to the case that they’re getting hot at the right time.
Chicago is back at it with another 1:20 pm game Saturday. Matthew Boyd will face Michael McGreevy as the Cubs go for their ninth series win of the second half.
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