Cardinals lose to Cubs, magic number now two

ST. LOUIS — Andrew Miller and Ryan Helsley were hit hard as St. Louis’ bullpen stumbled during an 8-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Friday night, but the Cardinals’ magic number for clinching the NL Central dropped to two.

Miller (5-6), Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos allowed each of Chicago’s runs after Dakota Hudson struck out 10 in five scoreless innings.

The Cardinals (90-70) lost their third consecutive game after winning six in a row. Their magic number for clinching their first division title since 2015 was sliced to two when second-place Milwaukee lost 11-7 at Colorado.

Ian Happ and Robel Garcia homered for Chicago (8377), which had lost nine in a

row. The Cubs were swept in a four-game series against the Cardinals last weekend.

Alec Mills struck out nine while pitching five innings of one-run ball. But the righthander left with a no-decision because Chicago was unable to put anything together against Hudson.

St. Louis jumped in front on Matt Carpenter’s 14th homer in the fourth, but Happ tied it at 1 when he led off the sixth with his ninth homer off Gallegos.

The Cubs then went ahead to stay with seven more in the seventh. Happ hit a tiebreaking RBI double off Miller, and Wilson Contreras made it 3-1 when he scored on a wild pitch.

After Victor Caratini was hit by a pitch, Miller was replaced by Helsley. Nico Hoerner then hit an RBI single, Garcia connected for a threerun shot and Ben Zobrist singled in Tony Kemp before Genesis Cabrera got the final out of the inning.

Garcia stopped a 0-for14 slide with his first homer since July 22. Happ finished with three hits and two RBIs.

Brad Wieck (2-2) got one out for the win.

Miller also struggled in his previous appearance, allowing a tying homer to Ildemaro Vargas in the Cardinals’ 19-inning loss at Arizona on Tuesday.

Mills got some help from center fielder Albert Almora Jr., who made two big defensive plays against Yadier Molina.

Almora robbed Molina of a two-run double in the first and took a homer away from the catcher in the fourth, climbing over the wall. Almora pulled the ball out of his glove to show the umpires and the stunned crowd he had made the catch.

Cardinals rookie Tommy Edman had three hits to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Edman also picked up his 15th steal.

AP/SCOTT KANE Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Brad Wieck delivers against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in St. Louis.

AP/SCOTT KANE St. Louis Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter (left) yells in the dugout as he is congratulated by teammates after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning on Friday against the Chicago Cubs in St. Louis.