Cardinals 13, Cubs 2 (2nd game)
Cardinals 13, Cubs 2 (2nd): Matt Holliday belted a pair of home runs - including a tiebreaking three-run shot in the fifth inning - and collected five RBIs as host St. Louis earned a split of the doubleheader and halted its four-game losing streak.
Oscar Taveras, Daniel Descalso, Kolten Wong and Yadier Molina each recorded an RBI single for the Cardinals, who climbed within one game of first-place Milwaukee in the National League Central and moved one ahead of Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot. Matt Carpenter drew three walks, scored three times and drove in a run while Marco Gonzales (1-2) allowed one run and three hits over six innings en route to his first major-league victory.
Jorge Soler and pinch hitter Chris Coghlan each plated a run for the Cubs, who posted a 5-1 triumph in the first game. Tsuyoshi Wada (4-2) surrendered four runs - three earned - on five hits and three walks in six frames as his six-start unbeaten streak came to an end.
Chicago wasted little time grabbing the lead as Arismendy Alcantara opened the game with a walk and advanced to third on Starlin Castro's one-out single before trotting home on Soler's double. St. Louis answered in the bottom of the first when Carpenter drew a leadoff walk, took second on a one-out free pass to Holliday and scored when shortstop Castro made a throwing error while attempting to turn a double play.
The contest remained even until the fifth, when Wada walked two of the first three batters in the inning before grooving a 1-0 pitch that Holliday deposited over the center-field wall for his 14th homer and a 4-1 advantage. St. Louis broke open the game with nine runs in the eighth as Holliday's leadoff blast ignited a rally during which the Cardinals scored seven times before an out was recorded.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Holliday's shot to center field off Chicago RHP Kyuji Fujikawa in the eighth completed his first two-homer performance of the season. ... Four of St. Louis' eight runs in the eighth scored without the benefit of a hit as Jhonny Peralta and Carpenter drew bases-loaded walks, Holliday was hit by a pitch with the bags full and Matt Adams lifted a sacrifice fly. ... Cubs LHP Zac Rosscup had a night to forget, allowing six runs on three hits and three walks in the eighth without retiring a batter.