What happened: The St. Louis Cardinals hammered the Chicago Cubs 17-1 to close out the day, piling up a Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson did the bulk of the damage, combining to drive in eight of those runs. The result was final and never in doubt after the Cardinals pulled away early.

Why it matters: The blowout ends a five-game winning streak for the Cubs, who had just steamrolled San Diego 23-3 a day earlier. St. Louis improves to 45-39 while Chicago slips to 49-38, keeping the two clubs tangled in the NL Central race. For a Cardinals side averaging 4.5 runs a game, a 17-run outburst is a jolt of offense at the right time.

What to watch: Watch whether St. Louis can carry the offensive surge into the rest of the set, and how Chicago responds after its first loss in six games.