The Cubs (24-22) won two of three from the first-place Cardinals in St. Louis to move within two games of the lead, then a Cards loss on the South Side closed the gap by another half-game. Outstanding pitching, especially from the bullpen, held the Cards to just 5 runs scored in the three-game set and earned the Cubs a tight win Sunday after Friday’s blowout.
The Cubs ‘pen has the fourth-best ERA (3.02) in baseball this season and their 228 strikeouts are the second-most. They had a scoreless streak that reached 25.2 innings and are still riding a streak of eight games without an earned run.