First pitch went at 1:30 PM CT with Javier Assad on the bump for Chicago and Matthew Liberatore starting for St. Louis, and the Cubs badly needed length from their guy. Assad had been juggling starts and relief outings all year, and Sunday was a test of whether he could give Chicago innings instead of just outs.
The bigger story walking into this one was the state of the Cubs' pitching staff. Chicago is without Jameson Taillon and Edward Cabrera from the rotation and has burned through relievers like Ben Brown, Ethan Roberts, Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton and Hoby Milner to injury, so every start Assad can stretch out matters more than it would for a healthy staff. Add Matt Shaw sitting out in right field and the lineup was already down a piece before the Cardinals even touched a bat.
St. Louis showed up having outscored Chicago 20-1 across the first two games of this set, a stretch that included a 17-1 blowout and a 3-0 shutout behind a red-hot lineup. The Cubs had also dropped their last two before Sunday, so this was a genuine gut-check spot for a team that entered the weekend playing well.
Chicago actually jumped out in front early and carried a 2-0 lead into the middle innings behind Assad, who's been sharper as a starter than out of the bullpen this season. St. Louis flipped the script with a 3-run 6th to grab the lead, riding the same offense that had steamrolled the Cubs all series. Chicago answered immediately, putting up 4 of its own in the bottom of the 6th to seize control for good.
- 60-Day-ILRamon Urias 3B — Urias (elbow) returned to St. Louis to undergo an examination on his left elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
- 10-Day-ILMatt Shaw RF — Shaw (hand) won't be activated from the injured list until after the All-Star break, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILEdward Cabrera SP — Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that the goal is for Cabrera (hamstring) to be throwing bullpen sessions before the All-Star break, Casey Drottar of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJameson Taillon SP — Taillon (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
- 15-Day-ILEthan Roberts RP — The Cubs placed Roberts on the 15-day injured list Monday due to right forearm inflammation.
- 15-Day-ILDaniel Palencia RP — Palencia (elbow) is progressing in his rehab from elbow tendinitis, but he won't be activated from the injured list until after the All-Star break, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILHoby Milner RP — Milner (abdomen) will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing emergency appendectomy surgery on Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILPhil Maton RP — The Cubs placed Maton (knee) on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right knee injury, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
- 15-Day-ILBen Brown RP — Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Thursday that Brown has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his neck and will have limited activity for the next month, 104.3 The Score reports.
The Cardinals got one back in the 8th to make it interesting, but it wasn't enough. Liberatore, who'd been dominant in his last outing against Atlanta, couldn't keep the Cubs' bats quiet a second time in the series, and Chicago's bullpen — thin as it is — did just enough to close it out.
It's a single game in a long season, but for a Cubs club sitting a game up on St. Louis in the standings, avoiding the sweep matters. For the Cardinals, it's a reminder that even a lineup rolling like theirs can get outlasted when the other dugout finally gets length from its rotation.