Wainwright Strong, Cards Win

Final Score: St. Louis 3, Chicago 1

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Adam Wainwright was one out shy from the third complete game of his career, as the Cardinals edged the Cubs, 3-1, capping a three-game sweep of their NL Central rivals.

Wainwright (4-2) was pulled with two outs in the ninth, surrendering a run on five hits and a walk to go with seven strikeouts. Ryan Franklin retired Milton Bradley to pick up a relatively easy save, as St. Louis completed its first three-game sweep of Chicago since August of 2006.

Albert Pujols homered and Brian Barden went 2-for-3 with a solo shot of his own for the Cards, who were swept by Milwaukee in three games before this set.

Sean Marshall (2-3) hurled five innings, allowing three runs — two earned — on four hits to take the loss, Chicago’s fourth straight overall. Kosuke Fukudome knocked in the Cubs’ lone run.

Pujols Hits Balls Hard

Pujols hammered a Marshall offering in the first inning, sending it off the ‘I’ in the infamous ‘Big Mac’ sign on the upper deck facade in left.

In the home third, Tyler Greene reached on Ryan Freel’s throwing error and later crossed home on Colby Rasmus’ line drive back up the middle.

Barden’s fourth homer of the season an inning later made it 3-0, and that was more than enough for Wainwright, who allowed just one baserunner to reach second leading up to the sixth.

The Cubs got on the board in that frame when Fukudome’s chopper back through the middle brought in Bobby Scales, who walked as a pinch-hitter to open the frame.

Derrek Lee hit a two-out single off Wainwright in the ninth, and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa opted to pull his starter after 116 pitches.

Franklin needed just two pitches to pick up his 11th save of the season, as Bradley lined sharply to right to end the game.

Game Notes

The Cubs scored just two runs in the three-game series…Chicago has lost five of the six matchups as the visitor in the series after going 12-6 at Busch the previous two seasons…Chicago will next visit San Diego for three games, while the Cardinals will also host the Royals for three games…Wainwright was winless over his previous three starts…Lee had two of the Cubs’ five hits.