Cardinals Crush Cubs 17-1 as 16-Run Rout Nears 125-Year High

Q: Does this 16-run blowout signal a major power shift in the historic Cardinals-Cubs rivalry?

Not by itself. The 17-1 rout is a striking data point, but one game—even the Cardinals’ third-largest win margin in the rivalry—does not prove a lasting transfer of power. What it does show is that St. Louis is the better club right now. The Cardinals are 54-32, sit atop the NL Central, and have paired a young, improving lineup with strong defense and enough pitching to win consistently. Friday’s game reflected real strengths, not fluke sequencing alone: St. Louis drew walks, set a franchise record with 13 two-out RBIs, got production throughout the order, and received 5 2/3 scoreless innings from Andre Pallante, whose season has strengthened his All-Star case. It also exposed how badly the Cubs are struggling. Chicago is 7-21 over its last 28 games, has lost 10 games in the standings during that slide, and has been weak on both sides of the ball, with a .213/.304/.334 team slash line and a 5.17 staff ERA in that stretch. Friday looked as much like a snapshot of a Cubs collapse as a Cardinals takeover. The broader rivalry still resists a one-day verdict. The Cubs retain the narrow all-time regular-season edge, and the Cardinals entered 2026 in what was supposed to be a rebuild, making their rise more surprising than preordained. If St. Louis sustains this over the second half and turns it into a division title while Chicago continues to fade, then the conversation about a genuine shift becomes much stronger.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 3

St. Louis scored in every inning from the second through the seventh and hammered Chicago 17-1 at Wrigley Field, improving to 46-39.
Three home runs powered the outburst: Nathan Church opened the scoring with a three-run shot, Masyn Winn added a three-run homer, and Bryan Torres went deep in the seventh.
Andre Pallante gave the Cardinals 5 2/3 scoreless innings for his 10th win, while Cubs starter David Peterson was tagged for 10 runs in the blowout.
The 16-run margin was St. Louis' third-largest over the Cubs in 125 years, and the Cardinals piled up 13 two-out RBIs—their most in a game since 1961.