ST. LOUIS — Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas threw breaking balls inside and below the strike zone in consecutive at-bats against Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who hit both over the fence for the first multihomer game of his career Sunday.
Designated hitter Christopher Morel matched Crow-Armstrong with a pair of home runs later in the game — also a career first — both on the first pitch of an at-bat.
In their 8-3 victory Sunday, the Cubs tied the record for the most homers by an opposing team at Busch Stadium with six. Catcher Tomas Nido and Ian Happ also homered.
‘‘It was fun to watch, for sure,’’ manager Craig Counsell said.
To go with the Cubs’ burst of power in their last game before the All-Star break, their staunch defense helped deflate the Cardinals.
The effort included an inning-ending throw to second by left fielder Happ, a diving stop by second baseman Nico Hoerner, a diving catch by shortstop Dansby Swanson, a backhand grab on a sharp grounder by first baseman Michael Busch and a catch while running into the wall in the gap by Crow-Armstrong.
‘‘That was incredible,’’ said Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, who held the Cardinals to three runs in 5⅔ innings. ‘‘I was not even close to my best self today. It was super-hot, [and] those dudes were flying all over the field. They play a doubleheader yesterday, and they come out today playing that kind of ‘D’ with that kind of effort. That’s pretty inspirational.’’
Busch putting down roots
Busch added to his highlight reel by handling a grounder hit 100 mph by the Cardinals’ Brandon Crawford in the fifth inning. But he made a harder version of the same play in the second game of the doubleheader Saturday.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Cardinals’ Alec Burleson hit a 98.7 mph one-hopper to Busch’s right. He snagged the high hop in a dive/slide hybrid.
‘‘First base is a very nuanced position,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘There’s a lot of instinctual things that you just need game reps with. And then after you feel comfortable with that, then — Michael’s been a middle infielder, he’s been a second baseman, third baseman — physically he should be able to do things there that make him really good at that position.’’
When the Cubs acquired Busch in a trade with the Dodgers during the offseason, they planned to give him regular playing time at first to get him comfortable at the position.
During the course of this season, he has established himself as the Cubs’ unequivocal everyday first baseman, both with his glove and his bat. He has been their best hitter this season, entering play Sunday with a team-leading 136 weighted runs created-plus.
MLB Draft
The Cubs selected Florida State third baseman Cam Smith with the No. 14 overall pick in the MLB Draft. He posted a .387/.488/.654 slash line as a sophomore with the Seminoles this season.
In the second round, the Cubs chose College of Charleston third baseman Cole Mathis with the No. 54 overall pick.
The remaining 18 rounds will be spread across Monday and Tuesday.
This and that
- The Cubs added right-hander Javier Assad, who served as the 27th man in the doubleheader Saturday, to the 26-man roster Sunday. To clear a spot for him, they optioned reliever Hunter Bigge to Triple-A Iowa.
- Iowa Cubs broadcaster Alex Cohen made his MLB play-by-play debut Sunday on Marquee Sports Network, filling in for Jon ‘‘Boog’’ Sciambi.
