Cardinals give up franchise-record 8 home runs in blowout loss to Cubs

New York Times

a day ago

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs public relations staff was halfway through announcing Pete Crow-Armstrong's second homer of the day as the 25th time a home run has clanged off the video scoreboard in right field. The loud crack of a bat interrupted them. Michael Busch had done the same.
'An update to the previous announcement,' a Cubs official said into the press box microphone. 'Michael Busch's home run now represents the 26th time this has happened.'
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Such was the nature of Friday's 4th of July game between the Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, where Chicago scored so rapidly that everyone else in the ballpark had trouble keeping up. The Cardinals surrendered a franchise-record eight home runs, with starter Miles Mikolas responsible for six, as Chicago routed St. Louis 11-3 in the first of three games at Wrigley Field.
'We got our asses handed to us,' manager Oli Marmol said. 'Let's just say what it is.'
Fresh off a series where they did not score a run in three games, the Cardinals limped into a scheduled off day on Thursday after playing 28 games in 29 days. The hope was that a break would lead to a reset and a recharge. Instead, the Cubs teed off on their division rival, ambushing Mikolas with back-to-back homers in both the first and second innings.
The six homers against Mikolas — all in the first three innings — served as the most home runs allowed by a Cardinal pitcher in team history. He was able to grind through six total innings and take some toll off the bullpen, but the damage was done.
'After the second inning, especially after the third, it (switches) to how many innings can I eat up so our bullpen doesn't get torched and we compromise the rest of the series,' Mikolas said. 'That's a small victory that might help me get an hour of sleep tonight. I'm not having a great game, I let my team down in one way, I'm not going to let them down in every way I can think of. To get through six and save some of the bullpen is something I can be mildly happy with, I guess.'
BALL STOOD NO CHANCE pic.twitter.com/TiLhVTOfgz
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 4, 2025
There was no slowing down the Cubs' offense, which jumpstarted the team's holiday celebrations with plenty of their own explosives. All eight of their home runs came with exit velocities above 103 mph. Chicago hit 14 balls over 100 mph and set its own franchise record for home runs hit in a game.
Crow-Armstrong had a day, going 4-for-4 with two homers and the two hardest-hit balls of the game (a 111.8 mph single in the seventh and a 110.6 mph solo blast in the first). Busch homered three times and drove in five runs.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, mustered one hit — a solo shot from Brendan Donovan in the fourth — before scoring two runs off position player Jon Berti in the ninth.
A THREE-HOMER DAY!
A #4thofJuly Michael Busch will never forget! pic.twitter.com/qwzu2MLEAQ
— MLB (@MLB) July 4, 2025
After allowing seven runs in the first three innings, Mikolas adjusted and allowed just one run over his final three frames. He said he recognized a change he needed to make halfway through his outing but declined to elaborate.
'I don't want it to seem like an excuse,' he said. 'I was making mistakes out there, but I fixed it.'
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A strong stretch from mid-April through early June suggested Mikolas had found his groove. He opened the season with a 3.51 ERA over his first 10 starts, but he's allowed 23 earned runs in 30 innings over his last six outings, ballooning his ERA to 5.26.
The Cardinals offense hasn't done much better. Outside of a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians last weekend, St. Louis has struggled to score. They suffered shutouts in their final two games against the Cubs in St. Louis last week and the Pittsburgh Pirates swept them heading into play Friday, blanking them in all three games.
'We just have to keep grinding,' Masyn Winn said. 'We know these past three, four games, we know that's not us. … I felt like everybody was feeling pretty good after the off day, so to come out and take the L sucks for sure. But we have to put it behind us and get ready for tomorrow.'
That's the theme for the Cardinals, who know how they fare in July will dictate how president of baseball operations John Mozeliak approaches the trade deadline. He has not made any decisions as to how the team will operate come July 31, but told reporters before Friday's game, 'Where we are in the week leading up, or the 72 hours leading up to the trading deadline, may affect how we make our decisions.'
That's why the team is remaining optimistic, despite its glaring lack of run production. The Cardinals have drawn admiration for their resiliency all season long. Now they're facing their biggest test yet.
'Our last four games haven't been great, but I think everyone in the locker room will agree that we're pretty confident in our abilities as a team,' Mikolas said. 'But sometimes you hit a skid. The Cubs are a good team, you have to play good, tight baseball. Can't throw pitches down the middle, at all.
'I let us down today. I didn't do my part. We suffered for that. Hopefully (Saturday's starter) Matthew Liberatore goes out there tomorrow and gives them hell. We have two games left in this series, and we can win two games in a row and come out on top of this road trip.'
That would sure be ideal. With their season direction hinging on their July performance, and the Cubs out to a 6 1/2 game lead in the division, the pressure to stack wins is mounting. Games like Friday's won't do the Cardinals any favors.
(Photo of Miles Mikolas: Daniel Bartel / Getty Images)