ST. LOUIS — Three doubles highlighted a four-run first inning Sunday afternoon, and Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran clubbed back-to-back home runs in the fifth as the St. Louis Cardinals ripped Travis Wood and the Chicago Cubs 7-0.
How it went
Jon Jay and Tony Cruz had two-run doubles in the first to put the Cardinals in control. Tyler Greene had a fourth-inning sacrifice fly that made it 5-0 and Holliday (No. 16) and Beltran (No. 21) connected for homers on consecutive pitches in the fifth to extend the lead to 7-0. Beltran's homer was his 200th in the National League. The Cubs didn't advance a runner beyond second base.
By the numbers
The Cardinals had 14 doubles in the series and outscored the Cubs 23-1. They own an 86-run advantage over opponents this season despite being just five games above .500. ... Twenty-one of the Cardinals' runs in the series came in four innings. ... Every position player except Greene had a hit against Wood (4-5). ... Lance Lynn (12-4) fired six shutout innings, allowing four hits, walking three and striking out five. He has permitted one run on 14 hits in 19 innings over his last three starts, with five walks and 22 strikeouts. ... Chicago was blanked in the last 25 innings of the series.
Contact reporter David Wilhelm at dwilhelm@bnd.com or 239-2665. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidMWilhelm.
