Dylan Carlson homered and drove in four runs, Jake Woodford pitched 5 2/3 strong innings in his first start of the season, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 8-3 on Monday night.
Woodford (2-1), who was recalled from Triple-A Memphis prior to the game, struck out six and didn't allow a walk. Woodford pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth by getting Ian Happ to ground into a double play, which scored Patrick Wisdom for the only run he allowed.
John Gant pitched the final 2 1/3 innings of relief as the Cardinals ran their winning streak to three games.
Three Cubs errors, including two straight by Javier Baez at shortstop, led to four runs for the Cardinals in the fourth. Alec Mills didn't help his cause by walking Carlson with the bases loaded, and Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a bases-loaded infield single, giving St. Louis a 5-0 lead.
Carlson and Goldschmidt hit home runs off Keegan Thompson in the sixth. It was the fourth time this season the Cardinals hit back-to-back homers, but first since April 19.
Carlson's single scored Harrison Bader to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the third. Carlson's four RBIs tied a career high set earlier this season, on April 7 against Miami.
The Cubs will send RHP Trevor Williams (3-2, 5.51 ERA) against the Cardinals in the second game a of four-game series on Tuesday night. Williams came off the IL from an appendectomy on July 6 and allowed seven runs on 3 2/3 innings to Philadelphia that night. The Cardinals have not announced a starter.
