Cardinals fall to Cubs in 11 innings on bases-loaded walk

CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo drew a bases-loaded walk from Zach Duke with two outs in the 11th inning and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on Thursday night for their 10th consecutive win.

Pinch-hitters Willson Contreras and Jorge Soler led off with singles against the lefty Duke (2-1) and Dexter Fowler walked to load the bases with one out. Kris Bryant struck out before Rizzo took a 3-1 pitch inside to give the Cubs their longest winning streak since getting 12 straight in 2001.

Mike Montgomery (4-5) allowed a single and two walks to load the bases in the 11th before striking out Matt Carpenter to end the threat. He won his first game for Chicago since being acquired from Seattle last month.

The Cardinals fell 13 games behind Chicago in the NL Central and lost Matt Holliday in the 10th after he was hit on the right hand by Mike Montgomery's 94 mph fastball.

Randal Grichuk, called up from the minors before the game, tied it for St. Louis with a pinch-hit solo home run off Travis Wood in the seventh. Brandon Moss also homered for St. Louis.

Cubs catcher David Ross tags out the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter at home plate during the seventh inning Thursday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs won 4-3 in 11 innings.Paul Beaty ~ Associated Press

Chris Coghlan had a two-run single and David Ross an RBI bunt single in the sixth for the Cubs.

Both managers used their closers in the ninth. Chicago's Aroldis Chapman needed three pitches to get two liners to third and a groundout, while Seung Hwan Oh struck out the side for St. Louis. Oh then worked out of a 10th-inning jam.

The Cubs wasted three good opportunities to score before capitalizing in odd fashion.

After Coghlan's two-out two-run single off Carlos Martinez tied it at 2, the 39-year-old Ross bunted an 0-1 curveball between the mound and third base. Martinez threw to first, and it drew Carpenter off the bag as Jason Heyward scored to put Chicago ahead.

Coghlan also teamed with Addison Russell to throw out Carpenter at the plate from left field on Stephen Piscotty's double to end the seventh.

Cubs lefty Jon Lester allowed two runs and five hits with six strikeouts in six innings but lost a chance at his 13th win when Grichuk sent a 1-0 cutter into the left-field bleachers.

Moss hit his first homer off a lefty this season in the sixth to put the Cardinals up 2-0. Yadier Molina added three hits, including an RBI single in the first to extend his on-base streak to 24 games.

Martinez allowed three runs and seven hits over six innings. He hurt himself when he cut off a throw home that seemingly had a chance to get Rizzo on Chicago's second run.

Trainer's room

Cardinals: A day after being scratched, first baseman Matt Adams (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list. "He's been working on some things throwing and also with his swing and something didn't respond well," manager Mike Matheny said. Grichuk was recalled from Class AAA Memphis.

Cubs: Pedro Strop (knee surgery) will be out four to six weeks and Hector Rondon (triceps) was unavailable. Rondon played catch and is scheduled for a bullpen session Friday.

Up next

Cubs Right-hander Jake Arrieta (13-5, 2.59 ERA) faces right-hander Adam Wainwright (9-6, 4.34) on Friday afternoon.