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ST. LOUIS -- Thursday's game at Busch Stadium was shaped by two players returning from injuries which basically sidelined them for the 2016 season. Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber, who tore ligaments in his knee during the season's first week, unloaded a three-run homer in the top of the seventh that denied St. Louis Cardinals starter Lance Lynn a win and gave Chicago a 6-4 decision.
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Schwarber's 404-foot shot down the right-field line tagged reliever Brett Cecil (0-1) with the loss and left Lynn with a no-decision after a solid outing in his first game since October 2015.
Lynn, who sat out last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November of 2015, worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and two runs. He walked one and fanned four.
But it was former teammate John Lackey (1-0) who got the win, thanks to Schwarber's home run. Lackey pitched six innings, yielding six hits and four runs -- three earned. He issued two walks and whiffed seven.
St. Louis touched Lackey for three runs in the first.
Yadier Molina's double play bouncer to short became a run and no outs when second baseman Ben Zobrist dropped the relay throw. That was followed by RBI singles from Matt Adams and Randal Grichuk.
Former Cardinal Jon Jay singled home a run in the fifth to get the Cubs on the board, but Molina made it 4-1 with a sacrifice fly in the Cardinals? half of the fifth.
Addison Russell's RBI groundout in the sixth drew Chicago within 4-2, setting the stage for its deciding rally. Pinch-hitter Matt Szczur reached when he made first base after a wild pitch on strike three stuck on the outside of Molina's chest protector and the catcher couldn't locate it.
Jay worked a walk and Schwarber delivered the game-changing blast. Russell added insurance later in the inning with another run-producing groundout.
Four relievers teamed up to obtain the last nine outs for the Cubs. Wade Davis pitched the ninth to garner his second save.
NOTES: St. Louis LHP Tyler Lyons (right knee) will start a rehab assignment Friday night for Triple-A Memphis at New Orleans. ... Chicago finally got to leave St. Louis after Thursday's game to start a weekend series in Milwaukee. Thanks to Wednesday's rainout, the Cubs ended up spending five nights in town to play three games. ... Cardinals RF Stephen Piscotty (head contusion) came in Thursday as part of a double-switch and went 0-for-2. Piscotty was hit in the left ear with a throw at the plate while scoring a run Tuesday night and left the game before the top of the sixth inning.
