Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 5, Cardinals 3 – July 23, 2017
Oh, hello again First Place Chicago Cubs. Been a while. I missed you. How’s your mother?
Jose Quintana wasn’t quite as dominant as he was in his first outing with the Cubs, but he made it work for six innings, allowing just three runs. From there, the bullpen trio of Hector Rondon, Carl Edwards Jr., and Wade Davis kept things interesting by allowing the tying run to reach the plate in each inning, but shut things down for the win.
Offensively, the Cubs scored a couple with two outs in the third to tie the game at two, and then got a solo homer from Kyle Schwarber to tie things at three in the third.
The Cubs ultimately took the lead on a Willson Contreras home run, which caused a bit of a ruckus:
Does Willson Contreras kiss his biceps after every home run he hits? Can't say I've seen that many in person. Anyone? #Cubs #Cardinals
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 24, 2017
In Goold’s defense, he later acknowledged that it was probably Contreras’s tribute to his home country, Venezuela, whose flag Contreras has on his compression sleeves.
It is now obligatory, however, that all Cubs must celebrate all good things in all games against the Cardinals by kissing their biceps. (Or at least running over and kissing Contreras’s biceps.)
Coupled with the Brewers’ loss earlier today, the Cubs are now tied with the Brewers atop the NL Central standings, and ahead in the loss column.
