Punchless Cards crushed by Cubs, 9-0

ST. LOUIS Lance Lynn failed to make it out of the third inning as he was battered for six runs by the Cubs, who rolled past the Cardinals, 9-0, Monday at Busch Stadium in the first of a three-game series.

Dan Haren, meanwhile, had his best outing since being obtained by the Cubs on July 31, pitching seven scoreless innings.

The Cardinals maintained a 5 1/2-game lead over second-place Pittsburgh, which lost at Cincinnati. Chicago moved to 7 1/2 games of the Cardinals and 2 of the Pirates.

Dexter Fowler drove in three runs in the first two innings with a leadoff home run and a two-run double. The game then got out of hand in the third, when three of the first four Chicago hitters collected hits to signal the end for Lynn.

Seth Maness arrived to deliver a wild pitch before allowing a single by Haren and a three-run homer by Addison Russell.

The closest the Cardinals came to threatening was in the fourth inning when they loaded the bases with one out. But Jon Jay popped up to third base and Mark Reynolds flied out to right field to end the inning.

As the game progressed and the lethargic Cardinals relinquished hope, the infield looked like a patchwork with Tony Cruz at third base, Pete Kozma at shortstop and Mark Reynolds at second base with a battery of Miguel Socolovich and Cody Stanley.

The Cardinals were able to generate at least one base runner in every inning but they hit into three double plays.

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