CHICAGO -- Matt Swarmer followed up his first major league start with his first big-league win and Frank Schwindel homered in a three-hit showing to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.
Swarmer (1-0) allowed two hits and one earned run in six innings, while striking out six and walking two. He made his first start Monday.
Schwindel ripped Johan Oviedo for a solo homer (8) to left-center field, nearly clearing the bleachers, to lift Chicago into a 2-0 lead in the fifth.
Rafael Ortega cracked a two-out, RBI double to right-center to score Nico Hoerner and give Chicago a 3-0 cushion later in the inning.
Schwindel added two more hits, including an RBI single in the sixth that extended Chicago’s lead to 5-1. He is batting .301 since May 11 and leads Chicago with six homers and 18 RBIs in the stretch.
Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols made his 3,000th major league appearance after Corey Dickerson left the game early with left calf discomfort. Pujols went 0 of 3 with three groundouts and a walk.
The only other active player with at least 2,500 major league appearances is Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera.
Cubs rookie Christopher Morel had the first three-hit game of his career. He has reached base in all 18 of his major league games.
The Cubs have won four of five games heading into Saturday’s night game, which marks their second doubleheader in a six-day span.
Oviedo (0-1) allowed three earned runs on eight hits in five innings in his first big-league start of 2022. He fanned five batters and walked three to drop to 0-9 in his career as a major league starter.
Tommy Edman belted his fifth homer of the season just over the right-field fence to claw a run back for St. Louis in the sixth.
Scott Effross escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh by fanning Edman with a called strike that appeared outside the zone.
St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol was ejected for the first time in his career after arguing Edman’s case.
Paul Goldschmidt snapped his league-leading, 25-game hit streak by going 0 of 2 with a strikeout, a groundout and a walk.
Nolan Arenado lent Chicago a helping hand on its first run in the second. He scooped up Morel’s bases-loaded grounder at third, then threw over Pujols’ glove at first on what could’ve been a double play to end the frame, allowing Hoerner to score.
Ian Happ tacked on two runs with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and an RBI single that scored Nick Madrigal in the eighth.
St. Louis has dropped two of three in the five-game series after a series sweep against San Diego.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: LHP Zack Thompson was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday. LHP Matthew Liberatore and RHP Kodi Whitley were both optioned to Memphis on Friday night. The Cardinals designated Memphis infielder Kramer Robertson for assignment to open a roster spot for Thompson. OF Tyler O’Neill (shoulder impingement) will head to Memphis for a rehabilitation assignment. OF Dylan Carlson is off to Double-A Springfield as he works back from a left hamstring strain that has kept him out since May 22.
Cubs: LHP Conner Menez was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Kilian. RHP Anderson Espinoza was added to the roster as the temporary 27th man for the night game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Espinoza gave up two earned runs in four innings during his major league debut on Monday against the Brewers.
