Veteran right-hander John Lackey (3-0, 3.66 ERA) looked very comfortable in St. Louis. Not only did he ring up 11 batter’s across seven innings of work but he held the Cardinals (7-6) to four hits and even drove in a run to help the Cubs (10-3) claim the series opener Monday night on ESPN.
Things were slow early on for both sides as Lackey and Mike Leake (0-2, 5.71 ERA) were retiring hitters left and right. Outfielder Dexter Fowler led off the game with his fourth double of the season, putting himself in scoring position with another former Cardinal in Jason Heyward due up behind him.