Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/4/24): Cubs 6, Cardinals 2 – Steele Sharp in Series Win

The Cubs responded nicely to a very difficult loss on Saturday afternoon to beat the Cardinals Sunday night at Wrigley Field and win the four-game series. St. Louis grabbed an early lead but Chicago scored six unanswered runs to earn a relatively stress-free 6-2 victory.

The Cards’ only offense against Justin Steele came in the top of the 3rd inning when shortstop Masyn Winn hit a two-run homer that got a boost from the wind to get over the center field wall. The North Siders rallied to tie the score in the 4th inning with an RBI groundout from Dansby Swanson, followed by a balk from starter Miles Mikolas that brought home Mike Tauchman from third base.

The Cubs began the 5th inning with three consecutive singles, with the last of them from Michael Busch bringing home the go-ahead run. John King replaced Mikolas later in the frame and Cody Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly off him to increase the advantage to 4-2.

A pair of solo home runs padded Chicago’s lead in the bottom of the 6th. Tauchman hit an opposite-field line drive shot to right against the lefty King and Miguel Amaya lifted a high fly ball over the center field fence off righty Ryan Fernandez. The Cardinals did not do much of anything for the rest of the game and the Cubs rolled to a 6-2 win. (Box score)

Tauch your Tauch, Mike. pic.twitter.com/owQD1kSrg9

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 5, 2024

Key Moment

Chicago responded quickly to falling behind and did not allow Saturday’s meltdown to carry over into this game.

Why the Cubs Won

They were able to score more than four runs again and they got a quality starting pitching performance.

Stats That Matter

• Steele was back on his game after a couple of shaky outings: 6.2 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 6 K, and 2 BB.
• Amaya had a single in addition to his homer and is putting much better swings on the ball.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong singled and doubled Sunday as his bat continues to come around.
• Tauchman made the most out of being a late addition to the lineup with a double as well as the solo shot.

Bottom Line

The Cubs have to be kicking themselves to have let Saturday’s game get away from them or this would’ve been a sweep. If nothing else, this really hurt the Cardinals’ playoff chances. As far as Craig Counsell‘s squad is concerned, it would be nice if this could translate into a stretch of good baseball. The playoffs continue to be unlikely but at least looking like a competitive team will make everyone feel better.

On Deck

The Cubs welcome the Twins to Wrigley Field for three games starting Monday at 7:05pm CT. Kyle Hendricks faces off against David Festa in a contest available on Marquee and 670 The Score.