CHICAGO (AP) — Clay Holmes and three Cubs relievers combined on a three-hitter, and Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run homer Friday to send Chicago to a 3-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Making his second start and first at Wrigley Field since being acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, Holmes (5-5) retired his first 16 batters before José Fermin singled in the sixth.
Holmes, who missed three months with a broken right fibula before the trade, struck out three, walked one and allowed one hit in 6 2/3 innings, exiting to a standing ovation. Ryan Rolison, Ryan Zeferjahn and Jacob Webb followed, with Webb pitching the ninth for his ninth save.
For the first five innings, Matthew Liberatore (5-10) was just as good as Holmes. He set down his first 13 batters before Nico Hoerner singled in the fifth.
Liberatore ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing the first two batters to reach before retiring Pete Crow-Armstrong on a foul popup and yielding to George Soriano.
Suzuki hit Soriano's fourth pitch, a 2-1 changeup, an estimated 390 feet to left for his 21st homer. He also doubled in the eighth, the only player with multiple hits.
The Cubs (72-51), who have won 9 of 11, are chasing the major league-best Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and have a comfortable lead atop the NL wild-card standings. The Cardinals (61-61) fell 3 1/2 games behind idle Philadelphia for the final NL wild card.
The rivals split their previous 10 meetings this season. Friday's game was the opener of a season-long 11-game, 10-day trip for the Cardinals.
Up next
Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (4-9, 3.64 ERA) faces Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (8-1, 3.50) on Saturday.
___