Paul Goldschmidt hit two home runs and Sonny Gray pitched five scoreless innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals win against the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Sunday night. The game was delayed for more than 2 1/2 hours due to rain at the start.

St. Louis has now won five games in a row, marking the first time since July 15-20, 2023, when they won six straight. They have also won 10 of their last 12 games.

“It was a great team effort,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol. “Everyone is stepping up and doing their part. Different players are contributing, and it’s all coming together. Whether it’s baserunning, defense, pitching, or hitting, we’re performing well in all aspects of the game, leading to these wins.”

The game finally began at 8:43 p.m. local time after the rain delay. Despite the delay, Gray (7-2) pitched well for the Cardinals, allowing only one hit and striking out eight batters before being replaced after throwing 74 pitches.

“With the delay, it was a long day,” Marmol commented. “Sonny has a specific routine, and he just couldn’t get comfortable during the game. I didn’t want to push him, so I decided to take him out. He did his job.”

The Cubs made a late rally against Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning. Ian Happ hit his second home run of the game to narrow the gap to one run. Nick Madrigal and Mike Tauchmann then hit singles with two outs, but Seiya Suzuki’s flyout to deep right-center field secured Helsley his 17th save, tying him with Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase for the most saves in the major leagues.

“We had some good at-bats in the eighth and ninth innings,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Most of the outs were hit well, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find the gaps. It’s frustrating, but Ian’s performance is a positive sign for our offense moving forward.”