Cards find wild way to slam door on Cubs’ streak

CHICAGO — The Cubs were reminded on Saturday that the Cardinals aren’t going to just hand over the Central Division, as well as how much they miss their prime setup men. Brandon Moss and Jedd Gyorko each hit solo homers, Stephen Piscotty scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the eighth, and birthday boy Randal Grichuk sealed the six-run inning and win with a grand slam to lift the Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, snapping Chicago’s winning streak at 11.

Alex Reyes, St. Louis’ top prospect, picked up his first Major League win in relief of the Cardinals’ No. 2 prospect, Luke Weaver. The Cardinals won for the fifth time in the last 13 games, and are in the mix for a National League Wild Card spot; they trail the Cubs by 13 games in the division.

“[It was] fun for our organization to see them just jump in here in this atmosphere at this time of year and be able to do what they did,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said after watching Reyes and Weaver cover seven combined innings. “I couldn’t have been any more impressed and happy about how these guys went out and did their job.”

After years of hearing about the Cubs’ youth movement, this was a day for the Cardinals to show off their own up-and-coming talent. In addition to asking Weaver, 22, and Reyes, 21, to come up and pitch in a pennant race, the Cardinals got their biggest hit from an outfielder who was celebrating his 25th birthday.

“We’re not on empty down there [in the Minors],” general manager John Mozeliak said. “I think today you got to see that.”

With the game tied at 2 and one out in the St. Louis eighth, Piscotty walked, Matt Carpenter singled and Moss walked to load the bases against rookie Carl Edwards Jr. Yadier Molina then struck out but Piscotty scored on a wild pitch. Jhonny Peralta walked to load the bases again, and Edwards walked Gyorko to force in another run. Joe Smith replaced Edwards, and Grichuk launched his second pitch into the left-field bleachers for his 14th homer.

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If Hector Rondon or Pedro Strop had been available, Cubs manager Joe Maddon would’ve called on one of them for the eighth instead of Edwards, who had given up five earned runs over 23 2/3 innings in his career prior to Saturday.

“That’s an example of what the team looks like without Strop and Rondon,” Maddon said of the pair, who are nursing injuries. “I felt really good about [Edwards] in that …

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