Cardinals 8, Cubs 1
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals keep winning games and setting records.
Michael Wacha bounced back from a rare off day with six solid innings Saturday night and three players knocked in two runs each as St. Louis routed the Chicago Cubs 8-1 at sold-out Busch Stadium.
In winning their fifth straight game -- their fifth winning streak of five games or more this year -- the Cardinals (50-24) reached 50 wins before July 1 for the first time in franchise history. It's their best start since 1944, when they opened 50-21-2 en route to winning the World Series.
Wacha (10-3) scattered six hits, walking two and striking out five as he moved into a tie for second place in the National League in wins. He was coming off a 9-2 loss Sunday at Philadelphia in which he allowed five runs over five innings.
Second baseman Kolten Wong, third baseman Matt Carpenter and first baseman Xavier Scruggs each drove in a pair of runs as St. Louis pelted starter Donn Roach (0-1) and two relievers for 13 hits.
Roach, who was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Friday to replace Tsuyoshi Wada (shoulder) in the rotation, gave up eight hits and four runs in 3 1/3 innings. Roach walked one and fanned one as Chicago (39-34) absorbed its fourth straight loss.
Reliever Carlos Villanueva pitched the last three innings for the Cardinals, picking up his first save of the year.
Roach gave himself a 1-0 lead with an RBI single to right that scored shortstop Starlin Castro in the top of the second. It came after St. Louis intentionally walked right fielder Mike Baxter to load the bases.
Roach held that lead until the fourth, when the Cardinals knocked him out with four runs. Catcher Yadier Molina ripped a hit-and-run double to right-center that scored right fielder Jason Heyward, while Scruggs singled home Molina.
Reliever Travis Wood nearly bailed Roach out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam, but Carpenter touched him for a two-strike, two-out, two-run single to cap the rally.
The Cardinals piled on four more runs in the fifth. Left fielder Randal Grichuk and Scruggs rifled consecutive RBI doubles past center fielder Dexter Fowler for a 6-1 lead. Wong added a two-run, ground-rule double to right-center.
NOTES: St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia (groin cramp) skipped his bullpen session on Saturday and will not take his turn Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox. RHP Lance Lynn will replace Garcia, working on a normal four days of rest. ... Cubs manager Joe Maddon said RF Jorge Soler (left ankle sprain) could start a rehab assignment next week. Soler, who is batting .265 with four home runs and 19 RBIs over 49 games, has been out since June 3. ... Cardinals LF Matt Holliday took batting practice before Saturday's game, cranking out several home runs. Holliday has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 9 with a right quad strain, but could return before the All-Star break.