CHICAGO – Michael Busch hit three home runs, Pete Crow-Armstrong connected twice and the Chicago Cubs went deep a franchise-record eight times in pounding the St. Louis Cardinals 11-3 on Friday for their fourth straight victory.
Busch finished 4 for 4 with five RBIs. Crow-Armstrong also went 4 for 4 and Dansby Swanson launched a two-run homer during a Cubs power barrage that had the crowd of 40,038 at Wrigley Field roaring.
Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly added solo shots as the NL Central leaders hit six homers in the first three innings off Miles Mikolas (4-6), a record for most home runs off a Cardinals pitcher in one game. The eight longballs allowed by St. Louis also broke a club mark.
Brendan Donovan led off the fourth with a home run against Colin Rea, ending a 31-inning scoreless streak for the Cardinals. St. Louis, which dropped its fourth straight, was shut out in its three previous losses.
That was the only hit Rea (6-3) allowed in 6 2/3 innings, matching his longest outing this season.
Mikolas (4-6) was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits over six innings in losing his fourth in a row.
Suzuki drilled his team-leading 24th homer and Crow-Armstrong followed with his first of the game in the first. Busch and Kelly hit consecutive drives in the second, giving Chicago nine sets of back-to-back homers this season and a 4-0 lead.
Crow-Armstrong launched his 23rd homer off Wrigley Field’s right-field video board in the third. After Swanson singled, Busch hit the board with a two-run shot that made it 7-0.
Cubs infielder Jon Berti pitched the ninth and allowed two runs.
Key moment
Busch pumped his hands to the crowd as he circled the bases after going deep in the seventh for his first career three-homer game.
Key stat
It was Crow-Armstrong’s fourth multihomer game this season and the fifth of his career. The 23-year-old center fielder was elected this week to start the All-Star Game.
Up next
LHP Matthew Libertore (6-6, 3.70 ERA) pitches Saturday for the Cardinals. The Cubs hadn’t announced a scheduled starter to replace injured Jameson Taillon.
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