Paul DeJong, Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar homered, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 6-4 on Tuesday night for their season-high third straight win.

DeJong put St. Louis in front when he opened the ninth inning with a drive to left-center off Javier Assad for his third homer this year. Dylan Carlson then tripled and scored on Andrew Knizner's bloop double into shallow right field.

It was DeJong's sixth homer in the ninth at Wrigley and No. 14 overall for his career at the ballpark. DeJong grew up in Antioch, Illinois, about 60 miles north of Chicago, and played college ball at Illinois State.

Dansby Swanson and Christopher Morel homered for Chicago in its third consecutive loss. Swanson finished with three hits and three RBIs.

The Cubs went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. They are batting .189 (27 for 143) with runners in scoring position in the last 17 games.

Assad (0-2) pitched five scoreless innings in relief before faltering in the ninth.

Chicago trailed 4-3 before Morel connected against Andre Pallante in the sixth, sending a solo shot into the bushes in straightaway center field. It was Morel's first game of the season after he was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

St. Louis opened a 4-1 lead with three runs in the third, chasing Jameson Taillon. Nootbaar hit a one-out solo drive that traveled an estimated 431 feet to right-center. With two out and two on, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan and Paul DeJong walked to bring home two more runs.

Taillon departed after Donovan's walk. The right-hander remained winless in five starts in his first season with Chicago.

Swanson responded with a two-run shot in the bottom half, a drive off Jack Flaherty that landed in the basket in right for his third homer of the season.

Flaherty worked out of a bases-loaded jam in his final inning, retiring Seiya Suzuki on a fly ball to the warning track in left in the fifth. The right-hander allowed seven hits and issued five walks.

Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado returned to the starting lineup after he was scratched for the series opener because of neck stiffness. 

Justin Steele (5-0, 1.45 ERA) looks to build on his fast start when he faces fellow left-hander Jordan Montgomery (2-4, 3.29 ERA) in the series finale on Wednesday night. Steele pitched seven sparkling innings in Chicago's 4-1 victory over Miami last week. Montgomery is 0-4 with a 3.72 ERA in his last five outings for St. Louis.