The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cardinals pummel Cubs early
Homers in each of first five innings for St. Louis in 9-6 win.
Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina and Lance Berkman started a power show by the St. Louis Cardinals, which became the first team in eight years to hit a home run in each of the first five innings and went on to beat the Chicago Cubs 9-6 on Friday.
Matt Carpenter and Allen Craig also connected off Travis Wood (4-6), whose five homers allowed matched the Cubs record.
Carpenter put visiting St. Louis ahead 7-6 when he homered on the first pitch of the fourth, and Craig homered into the left-field bleachers in the fifth.
The previous team to homer in each of the first five innings was Houston against Colorado on Oct. 2, 2004, according to Stats LLC.
Lance Lynn (13-4) tied New York’s R.A. Dickey and Washington’s Gio Gonzalez for the National League lead in wins despite allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings. Jason Motte completed four shutout innings for the Cardinals’ bullpen, getting three outs for his 23rd save in 27 chances as St. Louis won for the seventh time in eight games.
Lynn allowed one run in 19 innings during his first three July starts, but the Cubs’ first three batters scored. Lynn also gave up three runs in the third as the Cubs rallied to tie 6-6 and ended a streak of 21 straight games in which the St. Louis starter pitched at least six innings — the club’s longest stretch since 2004.
Rookie Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, his sixth in 25 games.
Holliday’s solo homer in the first landed just to the left of the camera booth in center field. He added an RBI single in the seventh and singled in the ninth, leaving him with a .434 average, eight homers and 31 RBIs over his last 34 games. He’s homered five times in 12 games against the Cubs this season.
Starlin Castro had three hits for the Cubs, including an RBI single in the first and a leadoff triple to center in the third.
Rizzo added an RBI single in the third and scored on Alfonso Soriano’s double into the left-field corner, tying the game at 6-all. Rizzo’s 28 hits in July are the most among NL rookies.
Wood gave up eight runs and seven hits in five innings and has allowed 22 earned runs in 15 2-3 innings since the All-Star break.
Padres 7, Marlins 2: Yasmani Grandal hit a bases-clearing triple and Yonder Alonso drove in two runs to help power visiting San Diego past Miami. Carlos Zambrano allowed five runs — four earned — and three hits in five innings as the slumping Marlins lost for the eighth time in nine games.
Jose Reyes hit an RBI triple, and Carlos Lee drove him in with a hit to stake the Marlins to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, but they couldn’t hold it.