Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (5/21/21): Cubs 12, Cardinals 3 – Offense Explodes Late to Back Hendricks

What was a bit of a sloppy, low-scoring game through seven innings became a blowout late as the Cubs jumped all over the Cardinals bullpen for a 12-3 victory in St. Louis.

Joc Pederson set the tone right off the bat and hit the first offering from Carlos Martínez into the right field seats to put the Cubs up 1-0. Kyle Hendricks gave that one back in the 3rd inning with a little help from a David Bote throwing error that allowed Edmundo Sosa to score on a Tommy Edman double.

Pederson added his second RBI of the game on a sac fly to score Nico Hoerner and put the Cubs up 2-1 in the top of the 5th, but the Cardinals tied it up again on a Paul Goldschmidt RBI knock. The Cubs then proceeded to add two more in the top of the 7th as Hoerner scored on a wild pitch and Kris Bryant plated Joc Pederson on a double to center.

The Cards responded with a single run in the bottom of the 7th on a Dylan Carlson knock, then it was all Cubs as they plated eight runs in the top of the 8th against three different Cardinals relievers. Eric Sogard, Anthony Rizzo, Javy Báez, and Bote all had RBI hits in the inning, and Bryant and Willson Contreras both drove in runs with quality bases-loaded walks.

When the dust settled after all the scoring in the 8th, the Cubs were up 12-3 and easily hung on to win by the same score. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Won

Hendricks pitched well again and the offense exploded in the 8th inning to put the game out of reach.

Key Moment

Pederson hit the first pitch of the game out of the park and put the Cubs up in what would eventually become a laugher.

Stats That Matter

• Happ continues his tear since coming off the IL, going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
• Hoerner keeps on proving that he needs to be the starting second baseman going forward, going 2-for-5 with a double and three runs scored.
• After Pederson’s bomb, the Cubs were able to score 11 runs without a home run as they stay hot from the plate.
• Coming off an eight-inning gem against the Tigers, Hendricks was able to toss another nice ballgame of 6.2 innings while only giving up one run.

Bottom Line

The Cubs offense stays hot and Hendricks does what we’re used to seeing him do, getting outs and winning ballgames. Any time the Cubs can stomp on the Cardinals in the Boring Capital of the World is an added bonus

On Deck

The weekend series between the NL Central rivals continues Saturday night when Adbert Alzolay faces Miles Mikolas. Alzolay is trying to even his record at 3-3 and Mikolas is making his first start for the Cardinals since 2019. First is 6:15pm CT and can be seen on FOX. If you’d rather listen to Pat and Ron, the radio broadcast will be on 670 The Score.