Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/24/21, Game 1): Cardinals 8, Cubs 5 (F/7) – Birds Bash Homers, Beat Back Fake Rally

The Cubs welcomed the red-hot Cardinals to Wrigley for the first game of a doubleheader on Friday afternoon to start the final weekend at Wrigley for 2021. St. Louis did not miss a beat, pounding out three home runs in a victory.

The wind was blowing out hard early on, but starters Justin Steele and J.A. Happ kept the score at zero through two innings. Steele made a costly mistake to Paul Goldschmidt in the 3rd that was crushed to left for a long two-run homer.

Chicago loaded the bases in the 4th inning with a chance to take the lead. Unfortunately, they were not able to take advantage and the Cardinals broke it open in the top of the 5th as José Rendon and Tyler O’Neill each blasted their own two-run jacks and put St. Louis ahead 6-0.

The Cardinals tacked on two more in the 6th inning before the Cubs staged a patented fake rally, scoring five runs in the bottom of the frame with help from a two-run home run by Sergio Alcántara. It was not enough, though, as the road team still took home an 8-5 win. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Lost

The Cubs offense did nothing on Friday afternoon until the game was very much out of hand. It didn’t really matter, because the Cardinals offense was explosive again Friday.

Key Moment

Happ loaded the bases via two walks and a single with one down in the bottom of the 4th, but the veteran lefty proceeded to strike out David Bote and Trayce Thompson to erase the threat.

Stats That Matter

• Steele started strong but was bitten hard by the longball: 5 IP, 6 R, 7 H, 5 K, and 2 BB.
• Frank Schwindel hit a double in the 1st inning to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.
• Jason Adam returned from an open dislocation of his ankle in May to strike out the side in the 7th inning.

Bottom Line

The Cardinals are almost unstoppable at the moment and the Cubs are going to have a very tough time keeping them from scoring. Maybe they can create an issue later in the series, however, the odds are not great.

On Deck

Game two of the doubleheader starts at 7:05pm CT as Zach Davies takes on Jack Flaherty in a game available on Marquee Sports Network and 670 The Score.