Wednesday’s Game Report: Cubs 8, Cardinals 0
By Rob Rains
It took one pitch to see what kind of night it was going to be for the Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Ian Happ hit that pitch from Erick Fedde for a home run and the Cubs didn’t stop hitting until they had blown out the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The 8-0 win was the biggest shutout victory for the Cubs at Busch Stadium 3 since a 9-0 win on Sept. 7, 2015.
The Cubs hit three homers off Fedde and knocked him out of the game in the fourth inning. They scored in each of the first five innings, handing the Cardinals only their second loss in their last nine games.
Despite the loss, Garrett Hampson had a memorable debut for the Cardinals after he was claimed on waivers from the Reds on Tuesday. Hampson started in center field, then moved to shortstop before pitching the final inning, retiring the Cubs in order on just three pitches. He was hitless in his three at-bats.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals were held to just four hits and had only two hitters reach second base. Their best scoring chance came in the third when Yohel Pozo led off the inning with a double and went to third on an infield single by Masyn Winn but was stranded when Alec Burleson grounded out … They had only two hits after that, a leadoff single by Nolan Gorman in the fifth and a leadoff single by Jose Fermin in the ninth.
On the mound: This was the second time in Fedde’s 16 starts this season in which he allowed seven runs and it was his shortest outing since his second start of the season … The three home runs equaled the most Fedde has allowed in a game in his career and was the first time that had happened since 2017 … John King gave up the final Chicago run in his 2 1/3 innings before Matt Svanson worked two scoreless innings, turning the game over to Hampson for his second career pitching appearance.
Key stat: This was only the second time this season the Cardinals were shut out at home. The other was a 2-0 loss to the Astros on April 15.
Worth noting: Jordan Walker was placed on the 10-day injured list because of appendicitis that forced him to spend Tuesday night in the hospital. The move was backdated to Monday. Walker had just come off the IL on June 14 after dealing with inflammation in his left wrist … Fermin was recalled from Memphis to take his place on the roster … The Cardinals also optioned pitcher Michael McGreevy to Memphis after his start on Tuesday night and recalled reliever Svanson, the fourth consecutive day they have shuffled a pitcher up or down from their Triple A team … Happ’s homer was the 12th of his career at Busch Stadium 3, the most by an active visiting player.
Up next: Andre Pallante will get the start in the 1:15 p.m. game on Thursday that concludes the series and the homestand.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains
