Cole Hamels allowed three hits over eight shutout innings and Javier Baez hit a two-run homer to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 victory over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Friday afternoon.

Hamels (5-2) walked one and struck out 10, including the side in the eighth, to end a stretch of three winless starts. He allowed just one batter to reach second when Harrison Bader doubled with two outs in the second. Hamels has allowed only an unearned run and five hits over 15 innings in back-to-back starts against St. Louis while striking out 14.

Pedro Strop, making his second appearance since missing almost a month with a hamstring injury, gave up a one-out home run to Paul DeJong in the ninth to lose the shutout. He earned his sixth save.

Victor Caratini went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI double, and Jason Heyward doubled and scored for Chicago, which won for the fourth time in five games. The Cubs remained tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central. The Brewers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4 Friday night in Milwaukee.

Miles Mikolas (4-6) suffered the loss, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks over four innings. He left the contest with a right forearm bruise after getting hit on a comebacker by David Bote. Mikolas ended up fielding the ball and threw Bote out to end the fourth inning.

The Cubs, who improved to 4-0 against St. Louis at Wrigley Field this season, took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Anthony Rizzo led off with a walk and scored two outs later on Baez's 16th home run of the season, a 376-foot opposite field drive into the right field bleachers.

Chicago extended its lead to 3-0 in the fourth on back-to-back two-out doubles by Heyward and Caratini.

DeJong broke up the shutout with his 10th homer of the season in the ninth, a 382-foot drive to left.

The Cardinals, who swept a three-game series from the Cubs last weekend in St. Louis, fell to 11-17 on the road this season. The road wins are the fewest in the National League.

--Field Level Media