Sweet! Cardinals win 16th in row, go ahead in 9th, top Cubs

CHICAGO (AP) — Andrew Knizner slid across home plate, hopped up and pumped his right arm in jubilation.

Make it a very sweet 16 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Knizner scored the go-ahead run on Codi Heuer's wild pitch in the ninth inning, and the Cardinals beat the lowly Chicago Cubs 4-2 on Sunday for their 16th straight victory.

“We did the little things,” manager Mike Shildt said, “the little things that help you win games.”

The Cardinals' franchise-record streak is the longest in the majors since Cleveland took 22 in a row in 2017, and the best in the National League since the New York Giants won 16 straight in 1951 on their way to an improbable pennant.

Paul Goldschmidt and Harrison Bader homered to extend a streak that has rocketed the Cardinals into position for the second NL wild card, leading Philadelphia and Cincinnati by six games with six to go.

Next up is a three-game series against NL Central champion Milwaukee beginning on Tuesday night in St. Louis.

“We're really locked in,” Knizner said. “We're playing good baseball. We're playing all the way through the ninth inning until the last pitch.”

Knizner drew a leadoff walk in the ninth. With one out and the bases loaded, Heuer threw a pitch to Tyler O'Neill that tailed away from catcher Willson Contreras, bringing Knizner home.

Heuer then mishandled O'Neill's comebacker and Lars Nootbaar scampered to the plate, giving the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.

Chicago dropped its sixth straight game. The fourth-place Cubs (67-89) went 39-42 at Wrigley Field this year.

Heuer (7-4), who was acquired in the July 30 trade that sent Craig Kimbrel to the crosstown White Sox, has allowed at least one run in each of his last three appearances.

“This is the first time we've seen him...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Sweet-Cardinals-win-16th-in-row-go-ahead-in-16489152.php