Cubs avoid sweep, score 4 in 6th to rally past Cardinals

The Chicago Cubs rallied for four runs in the sixth inning and avoided a sweep against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals with a 6-4 win on Sunday.

Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad held St. Louis scoreless through 4 2/3 innings, giving up just two hits and two walks.

His Cardinals counterpart, Matthew Liberatore (4-6), allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits in five-plus innings.

Trailing by one in the bottom of the sixth, Chicago rallied to take a 6-3 lead.

Carson Kelly drew a lead-off walk and went to third on Michael Busch's single, which marked the end of the outing for Liberatore. Matt Svanson took the mound to face Nico Hoerner, who singled to drive in Kelly and tie the game at 3-3.

After an Ian Happ pop-out, Busch then scored on third baseman Jose Fermin's error on his throw to second on a Dansby Swanson grounder to give the hosts a 4-3 lead. The ball bounced into right field, sending Hoerner and Swanson to third and second, respectively.

Pedro Ramirez's pinch-hit sacrifice fly scored Hoerner, and Swanson crossed the plate when Jordan Walker's throw to third missed and went into the Cubs' dugout.

St. Louis cut the deficit to 6-4 in the top of the eighth against on a sacrifice fly from Walker that brought in JJ Wetherholt. Wetherholt led the inning off with single against Drew Pomeranz (1-3).

Jacob Webb earned a two-inning save, his third of the season. He walked Masyn Winn to open the ninth inning and bring the tying run to the plate, but retired the next three Cardinals in order.

Down 2-0 entering the sixth, the Cardinals finally broke through. Wetherholt singled to open the frame and Alec Burleson connected for a base hit to right off reliever Ryan Rolison.

Tyler Ferguson replaced Rolison and Walker greeted him with a three-run home run to left-center field to put St. Louis ahead 3-2.

The long ball was Walker's 20th of the season. He drove in all four of St. Louis' runs. Wetherholt went 2-for-4 with two runs, while Burleson went 2-for-4 with one run scored.

The Cubs opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a single, stole second, and scored when Alex Bregman lined a double to center for a 1-0 lead.

Then, with one out, Kelly walked and Busch was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Hoerner followed with a sacrifice fly to right that brought Bregman in to make it 2-0.

Crow-Armstrong was the lone Cub with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Hoerner (1-for-3) drove in two runs.

--Field Level Media