CHICAGO – Inserted into the lineup largely because of his pitch-framing skills and his chemistry with starting pitcher Kyle Gibson, reserve catcher Pedro Pagés made a difference with his bat on Friday by hitting a solo homer that propelled the Cardinals to a 3-0 defeat of the Cubs at windy Wrigley Field.
Pagés also applied the tag at home on speedy pinch-runner Pete Crow-Armstrong, who broke from third in the bottom of the eighth inning but was mowed down at the plate by the on-target throw from second baseman Nolan Gorman.
Pagés broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning when he hit a hanging sweeper from Cubs reliever Hayden Wesneski, who leaped into the air as soon as the ball left the bat. The Statcast-projected 363-foot smash, which left the bat at 102.5 mph, wound up in the basket atop the wall in left field for the first home run of his MLB career.
The Pagés homer, combined with some stellar pitching from starter Kyle Gibson and closer Ryan Helsley, allowed the Cardinals (34-34) to get to .500 for the seventh time this season. The Cardinals have spent one day above .500 this season, at 5-4 on April 6.
The Cardinals appeared to catch a couple of major breaks late in the game, when winds gusting at 25 mph knocked down potential home runs by Cubs sluggers. Cody Bellinger had a high fly ball to right in the sixth inning end up in the glove of right fielder Alec Burleson after being caught up in the wind. In the eighth inning, pinch-hitter Patrick Wisdom smashed a ball 111 mph off the bat for what briefly looked to be a go-ahead, two-run home run, but winds that caused flags atop the foul pole to flap knocked the ball down just short of the wall for an out. Wisdom, a former top prospect for the Cardinals, stood at first base in disgust with his hands on his hips.
