Cardinals Handed Cubs Some Ugly History on Friday

The Cardinals were firing on all cylinders.

Jul 29, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; A detailed view of a hat and glove in the dugout of the St. Louis Cardinals in the game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. The Cardinals defeated the Marlins 11-6. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals seem to have a knack for flipping the script just when it appears things are about to go south. After a series loss to the Miami Marlins, they took two from the Atlanta Braves and won their series opener against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

The Cardinals won by a final score of 17-1, adding to their history of blowout wins over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. But they took part in some other history as well.

The Cubs had beaten the San Diego Padres 23-3 in their last game, but couldn't muster anything against St. Louis. According to OptaSTATS, the Cubs made some ugly history of their own, becoming the second team in major league history to win a game by 15 or more runs and lose the next by 15 or more.

The Cubs are the second team in MLB history to win one game by 15+ runs but then lose their next game by 15+ runs.

The other was the Boston Beaneaters from September 10-11, 1894 - a 25-8 win followed by a 17-2 loss, both in Chicago against the Colts (the modern-day Cubs).

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 3, 2026

Cardinals Hand Cubs Some Ugly History

Jun 21, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Iván Herrera (48) slaps hands with St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) after scoring during the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals bats appear to be waking up a little bit. The bats were quiet in their series loss to the Marlins, but after a slow start on Thursday against the Braves, the bats busted out and scored eight unanswered runs to beat Atlanta 11-5 and take the series.

On Friday, they just kept pouring it on. Nathan Church opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the top of the second inning, and St. Louis just never looked back.

In the long history of the rivalry between the Cardinals and Cubs, there have been a lot of moments that have ultimately gone the Cardinals' way, and Friday's game had a whole host of them.

The Cardinals may trail the Cubs in the standings, but both teams would qualify for for the postseason if it began today as the final two wild card spots. This would ultimately leave room for the two teams to have a meeting in the postseason. That has only happened once, with the Cubs emerging victorious in 2015.

However, the Cardinals certainly reminded Cubs fans who their most hated rivals were and had the North Siders on the wrong end of what was truly a rout of epic proportions.

It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals' bats can stay hot and deliver a series win over the Cubs on Saturday. St. Louis took two of three from the Cubs back at Busch Stadium at the end of May. They are now 3-1 against their hated rivals on the season and have two more series against them in 2026.