Final
Cards win NL Central crown
Sep 28, 2013 - 5:31 AM St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals locked up their first division crown in four years Friday with a 7-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.David Freese and Matt Holliday each hit solo home runs, Yadier Molina went 2- for-4 with three RBI and Lance Lynn tossed six scoreless innings for the NL Central champions.
Lynn (15-10) struck out nine, did not issue a walk and scattered three singles and a double in the rout.
The Cardinals, winners of a division that boasts three 90-plus win teams, kept pace with the Atlanta Braves for the best record in the NL with two games to play, though the Braves own the tiebreaker.
"It doesn't end here," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "We have some other goals set."
Cubs All-Star starter Travis Wood (9-12) was only scheduled to pitch one inning in an effort to save his arm while at least allowing him to reach the 200-inning milestone.
That inning did not go as planned, as the Cardinals pushed across three runs while batting around with four hits and two walks. Molina doubled in a pair, then scored on Jon Jay's base hit to center.
In the third, Freese took Brooks Raley into the bullpen beyond the wall in right-center, and two more runs in the fourth -- via Dioner Navarro's throwing error and Molina's groundout -- gave St. Louis a 6-0 cushion.
Holliday launched his 21st home run of the year in the sixth off Blake Parker, and the Cardinals' bullpen kept Chicago off the board over the final three innings.
Trevor Rosenthal was on the hill for the final out, retiring Darwin Barney on a groundout to start the celebration.
"I don't really like watching celebrations if I'm not involved in it," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said.
Game Notes
This is the Cardinals' 24th division title in franchise history ... St. Louis's 52 home wins matched its record for the current Busch Stadium, set in 2010 ... Lynn also eclipsed the 200-inning plateau this year ... Wood's ERA rose to 3.11. He was trying to become the second Cubs left-hander in the last 50 years to turn in a sub-3.00 ERA with at least 200 innings pitched ... Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter is one hit away from 200 this year.
- CHICAGO: 0
ST. LOUIS: 7
Final
Sep 27 11:12 PM - Matt Holliday one-out, solo Home Run (21) to left. Matt Adams due up.
Cubs 0, Cardinals 7 Bot 6, 1 OutSep 27 10:16 PM - Yadier Molina grounded into a fielder's choice, short to second, scored Carlos Beltran with two outs. Matt Holliday is out at second. Runner on first with two outs and David Freese due up.
Cubs 0, Cardinals 6 Bot 4, 2 OutsSep 27 9:43 PM - Matt Carpenter scored on Dioner Navarro's throwing error with none out. Carlos Beltran advances to third on Dioner Navarro's throwing error. Runner on third and Matt Holliday at the plate.
Cubs 0, Cardinals 5 Bot 4, 0 OutsSep 27 9:42 PM - David Freese lead-off Home Run (9) to right center. Jon Jay due up.
Cubs 0, Cardinals 4 Bot 3, 0 OutsSep 27 9:15 PM - Jon Jay singled to center scored Yadier Molina with two outs. On the play, David Freese advances to third and Jon Jay advances to second on the throw. Runners on second and third and Pete Kozma due up.
Cubs 0, Cardinals 3 Bot 1, 2 OutsSep 27 8:41 PM - Yadier Molina doubled to left scored Matt Holliday and Matt Adams with two outs. Runner on second and David Freese due up.
Cubs 0, Cardinals 2 Bot 1, 2 OutsSep 27 8:37 PM - CHICAGO: 0
ST. LOUIS: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Sep 27 8:16 PM
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