Cardinals pound Cubs in second game of DH

ST. LOUIS -- Matt Holliday homered twice and drove in five as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 13-2 Saturday night to earn a split of a doubleheader.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for St. Louis, which won for just the third time in its past nine games. It's the most runs this season for the Cardinals and the first time in seven games they scored at least three runs. Their previous high was 10, which they did twice.

Chicago is 2-3 in its past five, but has won nine of 14.

Marco Gonzales (1-2) gave up one run on three hits over a season-high six innings. His previous long outing was in his debut on June 25 when he pitched five innings against Colorado but didn't figure in the decision in a 9-6 win for St. Louis.

Holliday hit his 14th home run in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie. His three-run, two-out blast to center scored Daniel Descalso and Matt Carpenter.

He got No. 15 leading off a nine-run eighth. It marked his 19th career multi-homer and his first since getting two on August 10, 2013 against the Cubs. Holliday now has an 11-game hitting streak during which he has gone 14 for 43.

The first 10 batters reached to start the eighth for St. Louis. Holliday's homer was followed by five singles and three walks before he was hit by a pitch to drive in the seventh run of the frame. Matt Adams hit a sacrifice fly and Yadier Molina got his third hit of the night to drive in the ninth run before second baseman Javier Baez made a nice play on an Oscar Taveras grounder to start an inning-ending double play.

Welcome back

Molina went 3 for 5 with three singles in his second game since returning to the lineup following a seven-week absence. Molina, who had surgery on his thumb in July, went 0 for 3 in his return Friday and sat out the first game of the doubleheader. He also threw out Alcantara trying to steal second in the fifth, the first attempt against Molina since his return.

Up Next

Cubs: LHP Travis Wood (8-11, 4.72) will start Sunday afternoon. He is 2-5 with a 5.83 ERA against St. Louis.

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey (2-1, 4.50) gets his second career start against Chicago. He earned his second win with St. Louis in his last start, giving up one run in seven innings in a 3-2 win Aug. 25 at Pittsburgh.