Pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina reunited for seven scoreless innings as the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Chicago Cubs 6-0 on Tuesday night.
Molina, back after spending six weeks on the injured list due to right knee inflammation, returned to make his 317th career start with Wainwright. They moved into second place on the all-time starts list, trailing only Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan (324 starts for the Detroit Tigers).
Wainwright (8-8) allowed six hits while winning his second consecutive start. He struck out four without issuing a walk.
Paul Goldschmidt (solo homer, two-run single), Dylan Carlson (two-run homer) and Nolan Arenado (solo homer) provided the offense for the Cardinals, who have won four of their past five games to move within two games of the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Jordan Hicks pitched the eighth inning and newcomer Chris Stratton closed out the ninth for the Cardinals.
Starting pitcher Keegan Thompson (8-5) allowed five runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings for the Cubs, who lost for the fourth time in their last five games. Thompson walked two and fanned one.
The Cubs threatened in the second inning with two-out singles by Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel, but Wainwright struck out Yan Gomes to end the threat.
The Cardinals got one-out singles by Lars Nootbaar and Corey Dickerson in the bottom of the second before Molina's double-play grounder ended the scoring opportunity.
Willson Contreras hit a two-out triple for the Cubs in the third inning, but Seiya Suzuki flied out to strand him.
The Cardinals broke through in the bottom of the third to take a 2-0 lead on Tommy Edman's single, Nolan Gorman's ground-rule double and Goldschmidt's two-run single.
Cubs left fielder Ian Happ made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Paul DeJong of a solo homer in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, Carlson's two-run homer and Goldschmidt's solo shot pushed the lead to 5-0.
Arenado made it 6-0 with his long ball in the seventh inning.
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