By Joe Strauss, St. Louis Post-Dispatch –
CHICAGO — The St. Louis Cardinals chose to flex Friday at the corner of Clark and Addison. To those who might have forgotten the pose, they cut an intimidating figure.
Betrayed by starting pitching for the first time this month, the Cardinals overwhelmed the Chicago Cubs and lefthander Travis Wood in a 9-6 blasting before 37,344 at Wrigley Field.
(PHOTO: St. Louis Cardinals runner Matt Holiday (7) is out at second as Chicago Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney fires to first to double up Allen Craig in the ninth inning at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, on July 27, 2012. The Cards tripped up the Cubs, 9-6.)
Home runs by Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, Lance Berkman, Matt Carpenter and Allen Craig accounted for seven runs on a day when the Cardinals rallied from a 3-1 first-inning deficit, squandered a three-run lead, then came back for more.
Less than two weeks after entertaining questions about their wasteful offense, the Cardinals offered a sobering reminder of their roster’s depth while winning for the seventh time in eight games.
“We’re all healthy. When we’re all healthy, we’re really deep,” said Carpenter, who reached base three times and scored twice. “We’ve got guys in our starting lineup who are unbelievable. And we’ve got guys on the bench who are good players.”
The Cardinals hit a home run in each of Wood’s five innings. They also have outscored the Cubs 32-7 in four games since the All-Star break and are hitting .317 in their last eight games.
The Cardinals broke out with third baseman David Freese resting a sore right calf and right fielder Carlos Beltran receiving a second consecutive day off as a precaution against fatigue. Their absences meant time for Carpenter and Craig. Berkman made his first start since taking a Clayton Kershaw pitch off his right knee on Tuesday.
“When Carlos and David don’t play against a lefty and we score that many runs, it’s impressive,” Holliday said.
“It’s a long season,” Berkman reminded shortly after the 100th game. “We keep preaching talent, talent, talent. The teams that have talent over 162 games generally find their stride and end up where they’re supposed to be. Somebody asked me if the Braves collapsed last year or were we that good. My answer is over 162 games we were better because we had more depth. It sorts itself out. Hopefully, the same thing happens this year.”
A now-trustworthy bullpen worked four shutout innings as set-up man Mitchell Boggs earned a down day. Boggs had warmed or appeared in the last eight games before the All-Star break and had at least warmed in 12 of 13 games since.
Without Boggs, lefthander Marc Rzepczynski was called upon to face two righthanded bats with two runners on base in the eighth inning. (He got two fly outs.)
A previously underachieving team that managed eight hits in 51 at-bats with runners in scoring position during its recent 1-5 road trip left little room for nuance Friday.
After producing five home runs in 250 at-bats during a just-completed 6-1 home stand, the Cardinals equaled the power figure in 19 at-bats against Wood.
“Right now we’re on a good pace,” Molina said. “Hopefully, we can continue to do that. We know we’re a good team. That’s how we played.”
Both teams hit into a pitcher’s wind. None of Friday’s six home runs limped into the basket that overhangs Wrigley’s walls. Balls were mashed, carrying deep into the bleachers or onto Waveland Avenue.
“Those balls were crushed,” Holliday noted. “There were no pop-ups or wind-blown fly balls.”
“There were a lot of hard-hit balls — a lot for us and a lot against us,” manager Mike Matheny said.
While starter Lance Lynn (13-4) groped for form, the Cardinals became the first team since the 2004 Houston Astros to homer in each inning through the fifth:
Holliday extended his binge by opening the scoring with a two-out home run in the first inning. He has four home runs in his last eight games and 30 RBIs in his last 34 games. Friday’s home run was his 23rd extra-base hit within the longer tear.
The Cardinals didn’t allow Wood to record an out in the second inning until he fumbled a 3-1 lead.
Molina crushed his 16th home run with one on in the second inning. Second baseman Daniel Descalso’s triple scored Carpenter with the go-ahead run before Lynn’s sacrifice fly ball completed a four-run rally and gave him his first RBI this season.
Lynn, who had yielded only one earned run in three previous July starts covering 20 innings, promptly surrendered a second three-run inning that tied the score at 6.
After three innings the teams had conspired for 33 total bases spread over 30 plate appearances. Neither bullpen had stirred.
Berkman answered in the fourth inning with his first home run since May 18, the night his right knee buckled at Dodger Stadium. The blast also was worth his 1,200th career RBI.
Though his ERA rose from 3.10 to 3.42, Lynn closed the offensive spigot in the fourth inning, leaving the Cubs to scrape for one hit in the next five frames. Center fielder Jon Jay contributed the day’s defensive flash by retreating then diving to make a fifth-inning catch against first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
“I got a good jump on it. I was just happy I was able to make the play,” Jay said about a grab that sent Matheny scrambling for a post-game replay. “I like making plays out there, and I work hard on my defense. So when I’m able to make plays, it’s another part of my game. I’m not just a hitter.”
While the Cubs stalled, Carpenter yanked his fourth home run leading off the fourth inning.
The fifth inning opened with Craig punishing his 15th home run good for his 51st RBI in 59 games. Five of the Cardinals’ first seven hits left The Friendly Confines; six went for extra bases. They finished with 10 hits worth 27 total bases. The five home runs tied their season high and fell two shy of the franchise record.
Lynn’s five-inning outing ended the rotation’s run of 21 consecutive starts of at least six innings.
