The Chicago Cubs secured a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at Busch Stadium, fueled by home runs from Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner.
Chicago built an early lead against Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore, scoring one run in each of the first three innings.
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Seiya Suzuki and Alex Bregman opened the game with back-to-back doubles in the first inning to make it 1-0.
Miguel Amaya added an RBI single in the second inning.
St. Louis briefly cut the deficit in the bottom of the second when José Fermín hit a 407-foot solo home run.
However, Bregman answered in the third inning, launching a 94 mph sinker over the right-field fence to extend Chicago's lead to 3-1.
The Cubs expanded their cushion in the fifth inning against reliever Hunter Dobbins.
Hoerner delivered a two-run single, scoring Bregman and Carson Kelly to push the score to 5-1.
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St. Louis mounted a rally in the sixth inning against David Peterson.
Masyn Winn drove in Jordan Walker with a single, and Bryan Torres followed with an RBI ground-rule double to narrow the gap to 5-3.
The Cardinals created additional scoring chances in the seventh and eighth innings, including an off-the-wall hit by Iván Herrera, but Chicago's outfield defense prevented further damage.
Hoerner sealed the victory in the top of the ninth inning.
With two outs after a Bregman double, Hoerner hit a 382-foot two-run home run into the left-field stands to make it 7-3.
The rivalry series continues Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.
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Right-hander Colin Rea is scheduled to start for the Cubs, while the Cardinals have not yet named their starter.
