ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals added to their longest winning streak in five years with a slice of major league history.
Reliever Mitch Harris became the first Naval Academy grad to win an MLB game, pitching a scoreless sixth inning Tuesday night as St. Louis dumped the Chicago Cubs 7-4 in Busch Stadium for its eighth straight victory.
Pinch-hitting for Harris (1-0), Mark Reynolds snapped a 4-4 tie with an RBI double to the right-center-field wall off reliever Edwin Jackson (1-1) that scored catcher Yadier Molina. Third baseman Matt Carpenter tacked on a sacrifice fly later in the inning, while second baseman Kolten Wong’s RBI infield hit in the seventh capped the scoring.
The Cardinals (20-6) got 4 2/3 scoreless innings from a bullpen that’s worked 32 innings over the last six games. Closer Trevor Rosenthal pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances.
It was the fourth straight loss for Chicago (13-12), which left the bases loaded twice. The second time was in the eighth, when first baseman Anthony Rizzo — 3-for-3 with a walk before that at-bat — rolled out to Wong for the third out.
Neither starter was involved in the decision. Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks allowed six hits and four runs over five innings, walking two and fanning one. St. Louis left-hander Tyler Lyons surrendered six hits and four runs — three earned — in 4 1/3 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
St. Louis scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second as Molina picked up just his fourth hit in 31 at-bats, a groundball single through the middle of a drawn-in infield that plated shortstop Jhonny Peralta from third.
Chicago tied it in the third as right fielder Jorge Soler lined a sacrifice fly to left that scored first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who led off with a single and moved to third on a two-base throwing error by Lyons.
The Cubs untied it with three runs in the fifth. Rookie third baseman Kris Bryant’s RBI single plated second baseman Addison Russell. With the bases loaded and one out, a fielder’s choice bouncer by shortstop Starlin Castro scored two as Bryant sped home from second, never hesitating as he rounded third.
But the Cardinals’ 4-1 deficit was short-lived as Carpenter lined a three-run homer to right in the bottom half, his fifth of the year.
NOTES: Chicago placed OF Chris Denoria (left hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list and sent down RHP Gonzalez Germen to Triple-A Iowa. Denorfia left Monday night’s game in the third inning for a pinch-runner. … St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia (shoulder) threw 70 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday and is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Sunday. Garcia was disabled near the end of spring training as he was on the verge of opening the season as the No. 5 starter. … The Cubs beefed up their bullpen by calling up LHP James Russell and RHP Anthony Varvaro, giving them eight relievers among 13 pitchers.