Cards grab much-needed win vs. Cubs
ST. LOUIS -- Behind a rookie and a veteran breaking out of a lengthy slump, the St. Louis Cardinals grabbed a win they needed.
Alex Reyes worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings and Brandon Moss cracked a tie-breaking two-run homer to lift St. Louis past the Chicago Cubs 4-2 Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.
Reyes (2-1) relieved ineffective Jaime Garcia and overcame six walks, allowing only one hit and striking out four as he beat Chicago in relief for the second time this year. Reyes stranded 10 baserunners in his outing, leaving the bases loaded in the second and fourth.
Another rookie, Matt Bowman, followed Reyes with two perfect innings. Kevin Siegrist, pitching the ninth because regular closer Seung Hwan Oh is battling a groin injury, earned his second save by retiring the Cubs in order.
Moss, who entered the game in a 1-for-41 skid, walloped his 26th homer in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs off Jason Hammel. It scored Yadier Molina, who singled with one out for the Cardinals' first hit since the second inning.
Hammel (14-9) lasted 5 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and four runs with two walks and nine strikeouts. He was seeking his third win over St. Louis this year -- all on the road.
Garcia gave up three hits and two runs in 1 2/3 innings, issuing two walks and fanning one.
Chicago (92-52) saw its magic number for clinching the National League Central remain at 3. St. Louis (76-68) stayed a half-game behind the New York Mets, a 4-3 winner in 10 innings at Washington, for the NL's second wild-card spot.
Chicago wasted no time starting the scoring as Dexter Fowler cracked his 12th homer of the year five pitches into the game. It was his first hit in 11 career at-bats against Jaime Garcia, as well as his seventh leadoff homer of the season.
Addison Russell made it 2-0 in the second with an RBI double that scored Ben Zobrist. The Cubs knocked out Garcia after Fowler walked to load the bases with two outs, but rookie Alex Reyes fanned Kris Bryant with a 98 mph fastball.
St. Louis equalized in its half of the second with two outs. After a Brandon Moss single, Aledmys Diaz rifled a two-run homer to left, his 15th of the year.
NOTES: St. Louis SS Aledmys Diaz returned to the starting lineup for the first time since July 31, when he was hit by a pitch in Miami and fractured his right thumb. Diaz, activated Sunday, pinch-hit Monday night. ... Chicago has a second consecutive 90-plus win season, the first time the Cubs accomplished the feat since an eight-season run from 1904-11. ... Cardinals RHP Trevor Rosenthal (right shoulder inflammation) threw live batting practice Tuesday and could be activated later this week. Rosenthal has been sidelined since July 26.