In addition to being delighted with how Josha Báez pulled off arguably the greatest MLB debut in the history of the sport on Saturday, manager Oliver Marmol mentioned the effect that adding another feared slugger to the lineup could have for the Cardinals going forward in the games to come.
A day after Báez set baseball ablaze with three homers in the first three at bats of his MLB career, the effect of having the 6-foot-3, 220-pound slugger in the middle of the order paid off handsomely for others ahead of him and for the suddenly surging Cardinals.
Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson each homered and drove in four runs apiece to push their way near the MLB lead in RBI as the Cardinals scored six times in the fourth inning and throttled the rival Cubs 11-4 at Wrigley Field.
Burleson's career-best 90 RBI put him one off the MLB lead behind Washington shortstop/second baseman CJ Abrams and Cincinnati rookie first baseman Sal Stewart. Walker sits fifth in MLB in RBI at 86.
"We're just finding ways to win the most recent series, and we've got to keep it going," Walker told ESPN. "Our offense is just trying to move the train along and everybody is doing their part. The pitching staff did a great job as well, and we just need to keep this going."
Burly bomb to start the day! pic.twitter.com/Q0cn7tSqax
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 16, 2026Burleson, who went 3 for 5, finished a triple shy of the cycle after homering in the first, singling in the fourth and doubling in the sixth inning. Walker, who went 3 for 4, doubled in the third and eighth innings and crushed a 413-foot homer in the game-breaking fourth inning.
Standout rookie JJ Wetherholt added two hits and three runs scored, while catcher Jimmy Crooks had two hits and an RBI. The Cards torched Chicago pitching for 12 hits and 5-fot-10 hitting with runners in scoring position.
The Cards combined Saturday’s 8-4 win sparked by Báez with Sunday’s demolition of the Cubs pitching staff to win two of three at Wrigley Field for the second time this season. The Cards won four of the first six meetings against the Cubs, dropped three of four at Busch Stadium in late July and then won this series to capture the season series, 7-6.
The Cards dropped the first six series after the break for the MLB All-Star Game, but they have since rallied to win four straight series. The Cards captured two of three from the Yankees, Rockies, Phillies and Cubs and have won nine of their last 13 games.
St. Louis will take that momentum to Cincinnati where they will play five times in the next four days. The Cards and Reds will play twice on Monday – 12:40 p.m. CT and 5:40 p.m. CT – with the first game being a makeup of a rain out from May 22.
Joshua Báez Makes MLB History with Three HRs in First Three Big-League At Bats
On the day after starting his MLB career with three straight homers, Báez went hitless in five at bats. He flied to center in the first inning, struck out with Walker on third base in the third inning and ended the fourth-inning outburst with a deep fly ball to right field. In the sixth, he came up with the bases loaded, but he struck out when he didn’t vigorously challenge a strike three call that was well high of the zone.
Right on cue 😤 pic.twitter.com/GmQ3TcpOvp
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 16, 2026Hunter Dobbins, who moved into the rotation after Dustin May was dealt to the Brewers on Aug. 3, limited the Cubs just two hits and two earned runs over five innings. He struck out seven and his only blemish was a two-run shot hit by Pete Crow-Armstrong in the third inning. Dobbins (3-3) got nine swings and misses – three with his fastball, two with his sweeper and two with his splitter.
Burleson set the tone for the day and how the Cardinals would attack Edward Cabrera by aggressively going down and getting a sinker in the middle of the plate and crushing it into the bleachers in right field. Burleson’s 21st homer not only left the bat at 105.8 mph, but it traveled 421 feet and halfway up the bleachers.
Down 3-0, the Cubs got back within striking distance when Crow-Armstrong blasted a two-run shot. Crow-Armstrong struck out in the first inning on three low sinkers, but he hit the first pitch he saw from Dobbins in the third inning for his 28th homer.
Burly delivers! pic.twitter.com/RvqGfctuCp
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 16, 2026The Cards turned the game into a laugher in the fourth inning when Cabrera struggled with his control and the one-two punch of Burleson and Walker delivered knockout punches. JJ Wetherholt pushed in a run with a bases loaded walk and Ivan Herrera plated another with a sacrifice fly to right. Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell went to lefty Ryan Rolison to face Burleson, but the Cardinals’ RBI leader burned Chicago with an opposite-field single to plate two runs. Rolison then had to face Walker, who blasted a 413-foot long ball to straight-away center field. Walker’s career-best 24th homer gave the Redbirds a commanding 9-2 lead.
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