Cubs’ eighth-inning fielding mix-up allows Cardinals to rally for 5-4 win

Cubs’ eighth-inning fielding mix-up allows Cardinals to rally for 5-4 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — A Cubs fielding mix-up allowed Nolan Arenado’s short fly to drop for a tying, two-run single in a three-run eighth inning, Tommy Pham tripled and scored in the ninth and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past Chicago 5-4 Saturday.

St. Louis trailed 4-1 in the eighth before newly acquired third baseman Isaac Paredes threw wildly past first on Brendan Donovan’s grounder off Porter Hodge, allowing Alec Burleson to score from second on the error.

Arenado hit a fly to short center that second baseman Nico Hoerner called for and was readying to catch when center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong called him off. Crow-Armstrong couldn’t get to the ball, which dropped 213 feet from the plate as two runs scored.

Pham led off the ninth with a drive against Héctor Neris (8-4) that hit off the glove of leaping Ian Happ and the ivy on the left-field wall as Pham slid into third. He scored on Lar Nootbar’s fly to center.

Pham also doubled and is hitting .471 (8 for 17) since returning to the Cardinals, who acquired him from the Chicago White Sox.

JoJo Romero (5-1) pitched a perfect eighth and Ryan Helsley a 1-2-3 ninth for his major league-leading 34th save in 37 chances, stopping Chicago’s three-game winning streak.

Alec Burleson hit his 18th home run for St. Louis, a drive to right in the first inning originally ruled in play. A video review determined the ball hit the bricks above the right-field wall.

Michael Busch hit a two-run homer in the bottom half, going deep for the second straight day.

Crow-Armstrong had a run-scoring triple in the second and scored on Miguel Amaya’s sacrifice bunt back to the mound for a 4-1 lead.

Cubs starter Jameson Taillon allowed one run and six hits in six innings, while Kyle Gibson combined with two relievers on a five-hitter, giving up four runs and five hits in seven innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: CF Michael Siani left in the middle of the eighth inning because of right oblique tightness. UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (8-8, 4.99 ERA) faces Cubs LHP Justin Steele (2-5, 3.38) in Sunday night’s series finale.

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