NATIONAL LEAGUE

Cubs jump on Cards to start 2nd half

Chicago Cubs' Jason Heyward watches his RBI single off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 19, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Chicago Cubs' Jason Heyward watches his RBI single off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 19, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

CUBS 9, CARDINALS 6

CHICAGO -- The All-Star break is over. It's right about now when the Chicago Cubs usually take off.

Jason Heyward had three hits and two RBI, Ian Happ belted a two-run home run and the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-6 on Thursday night for their fourth consecutive victory.

Chicago and St. Louis returned a day earlier than the rest of the majors, but it sure looked like business as usual for the NL Central leaders. The Cubs improved 150-73 after the All-Star break since 2015, baseball's best such record over that stretch.

"I just feel like the biggest thing for us is a positive mindset throughout," Heyward said. "Not getting too high, not getting too low."

Anthony Rizzo added two doubles from the leadoff spot as Chicago moved a season-high 18 games over .500. Victor Caratini had three hits and scored three times in the opener of a five-game series, and Ben Zobrist delivered a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the Cubs' five-run fifth inning.

"Just really good at-bats," Manager Joe Maddon said.

With the abbreviated break, Maddon held All-Stars Willson Contreras and Javier Baez out of the starting lineup. Caratini and Zobrist picked up the slack quite nicely as Chicago increased its advantage to a season-high three games over idle Milwaukee.

Yadier Molina matched a career high with four hits for St. Louis, but interim manager Mike Shildt was handed his first loss in his second game in charge after Mike Matheny was fired Saturday night. Tommy Pham and Matt Carpenter each hit a solo home run.

"When you're facing a team like Chicago, you have to bring your 'A' game," Molina said. "We didn't bring our 'A' game with the pitching and defense."

The Cardinals had a 3-1 lead before the Cubs started teeing off on Carlos Martinez (6-6) in the fifth.

Caratini singled, advanced to second on shortstop Paul DeJong's throwing error and scored on Rizzo's stinging double into the gap in right-center. Heyward hit a tying RBI single and Zobrist followed with a fly ball to center, driving in Kris Bryant for a 4-3 lead.

Happ then hit a drive deep to right-center for his 12th home run. He also went deep in his previous game, connecting for a solo shot in Saturday night's 11-6 victory at San Diego.

"We didn't make some plays tonight, and it hurt us," Shildt said.

Brian Duensing (3-0) got the last out of the fifth for the victory. Pedro Strop got one out for his third save after the Cubs placed closer Brandon Morrow on the 10-day disabled list as part of a flurry of pregame moves.

Martinez allowed 6 runs -- 5 earned -- and 7 hits in 5 innings. The right-hander went 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his previous 4 starts.

Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks also struggled, yielding nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. But he wiggled out of a couple jams while limiting the Cardinals to three runs.

Umpire Kerwin Danley staggered away from the plate after taking Bryant's foul ball off his mask in the eighth. Molina helped steady Danley while a Cubs trainer came out of the dugout.

Danley stayed in the game after the trainer checked him out.

The Cubs announced an acquisition after the game Thursday.

The team acquired right-handed reliever Jesse Chavez from the Texas Rangers for minor league pitcher Tyler Thomas.

Chavez can be a free agent at the end of the season, and the Rangers had recently started to showcase him in the later innings after he opened the year as the long man.

After a sluggish start, he became a valuable piece and leaves the Rangers with a 3-1 record, a 3.51 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings.

"Good arm. Versatile. Can start and relieve," Maddon said.

Thomas has posted some impressive numbers in his first full professional season. The Cubs' seventh-round pick last year, the left-handed Thomas went 3-5 with a 2.88 ERA in 15 games/14 starts at Low A South Bend with 88 strikeouts and only 15 walks in 75 innings.

Sports on 07/20/2018

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