CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Busch hit three home runs, Pete Crow-Armstrong connected twice and the Chicago Cubs went deep a franchise-record eight times in pounding the St. Louis Cardinals 11-3 on Friday for their fourth straight victory.
Busch finished 4 for 4 with five RBIs. Crow-Armstrong also went 4 for 4 and Dansby Swanson launched a two-run homer during a Cubs power barrage that had the crowd of 40,038 at Wrigley Field roaring.
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St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong hits a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch, right, is greeted by Dansby Swanson (7) after hitting a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong hits a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch hits a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly added solo shots as the NL Central leaders hit six homers in the first three innings off Miles Mikolas (4-6), a record for most home runs off a Cardinals pitcher in one game. The eight longballs allowed by St. Louis also broke a club mark.
Brendan Donovan led off the fourth with a home run against Colin Rea, ending a 31-inning scoreless streak for the Cardinals. St. Louis, which dropped its fourth straight, was shut out in its three previous losses.
That was the only hit Rea (6-3) allowed in 6 2/3 innings, matching his longest outing this season.
Mikolas (4-6) was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits over six innings in losing his fourth in a row.
Suzuki drilled his team-leading 24th homer and Crow-Armstrong followed with his first of the game in the first. Busch and Kelly hit consecutive drives in the second, giving Chicago nine sets of back-to-back homers this season and a 4-0 lead.
Crow-Armstrong launched his 23rd homer off Wrigley Field’s right-field video board in the third. After Swanson singled, Busch hit the board with a two-run shot that made it 7-0.
Cubs infielder Jon Berti pitched the ninth and allowed two runs.
Busch pumped his hands to the crowd as he circled the bases after going deep in the seventh for his first career three-homer game.
It was Crow-Armstrong's fourth multihomer game this season and the fifth of his career. The 23-year-old center fielder was elected this week to start the All-Star Game.
LHP Matthew Liberatore (6-6, 3.70 ERA) pitches Saturday for the Cardinals. LHP Drew Pomeranz (2-1, 0.00) starts a bullpen game for the Cubs.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong hits a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch, right, is greeted by Dansby Swanson (7) after hitting a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong hits a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch hits a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lamar Jackson thought it was over. That the Baltimore Ravens' unwieldy season would end up in a familiar spot: the playoffs.
Then, rookie kicker Tyler Loop's potential game-winning field goal from 44 yards out drifted a little right. And then a little further right. And then a little further right still.
By the time it fluttered well wide of the goalposts, the playoffs were gone. So was Jackson's certainty after a 26-24 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night sent the Ravens into what could be a turbulent offseason.
“I'm definitely stunned, man,” Jackson said. “I thought we had it in the bag. ... I don't know what else we can do.”
Jackson, who never really seemed fully healthy during his eighth season as he battled one thing after another, did his part. The two-time NFL MVP passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns, including two long connections with Zay Flowers in the fourth quarter that put the Ravens (8-9) in front.
It just wasn't enough. Baltimore's defense, which played most of the second half without star safety Kyle Hamilton after Hamilton entered the concussion protocol, wilted against 42-year-old Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers passed for a season-high 294 yards, including a 26-yard flip to a wide-open Calvin Austin with 55 seconds to go after a defender slipped, symbolic of a season in which Baltimore's defense only occasionally found its form.
Still, the Ravens had a chance when Jackson found Isaiah Likely for a 28-yard gain on fourth down from midfield. A couple of snaps later, the 24-year-old Loop walked on to try to lift Baltimore to its third straight division title.
Instead, the rookie said he “mishit” it. Whatever it was, it never threatened to sneak between the goalposts.
“It’s disappointing,” Loop said.
Loop was talking about the game. He might as well have been talking about his team's season.
The Ravens began 1-5 as Jackson dealt with injuries and the defense struggled to get stops. Baltimore found a way to briefly tie the Steelers for first in late November, only to then split its next four games, including a home loss to Pittsburgh.
Still, when Jackson and the Ravens walked onto the Acrisure Stadium turf on Sunday night in the 272nd and final game of the NFL regular season, Baltimore was confident. The Ravens drilled Pittsburgh in the opening round of the playoffs a year ago behind the ever-churning legs of running back Derrick Henry.
When Henry ripped off a gain of 40-plus yards on the game's first offensive snap, it looked like it was going to be more of the same. While Henry did rush for 126 yards and joined Hall of Famer Barry Sanders as the only running backs in NFL history to have five 1,500-yard seasons, he was less effective in the second half.
Even that first run was telling of what night it was going to be, as an illegal block by wide receiver Zay Flowers cost Baltimore some field position. The Ravens ended up scoring on the drive anyway, thanks to a 38-yard fourth-down flip from Jackson to a wide-open Devontez Walker, but it started a pattern that was hard to shake as several steps forward were met with one step back on a night the Ravens finished with nine penalties for 78 yards.
“We were having a lot of penalties, which kept stopping drives," Jackson said. “But I'm proud of my guys because we kept overcoming. We kept overcoming adversity and situations like this. Divisional games (can) be like that sometimes.”
Particularly when the Steelers are on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Pittsburgh has won 10 of the last 13 meetings. And while a handful of them have been in late-season matchups with the Ravens already assured of reaching the playoffs, the reality is the Steelers have been able to regularly do something that most others have not: found a way to beat Jackson.
“It comes down to situations like this,” Jackson said. “Two-point conversion one year. Field goal another year. And again this year. Just got to find a way to get that win here.”
And figure out who is going to be around to help get it.
Head coach John Harbaugh's 18th season in Baltimore ended with the Ravens missing the playoffs for just the second time in eight years. Jackson turns 29 this week and is still one of the most electric players in the league.
Yet Harbaugh and Jackson have yet to find a way to have that breakthrough season that Harbaugh enjoyed with Joe Flacco in 2013 when the Ravens won the Super Bowl.
There was hope when the season began that the roadblocks that have long been in the franchise's way — Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes chief among them — would be gone.
While the Ravens did get their way in a sense — the Chiefs will watch the playoffs from afar for the first time in a decade after a nightmarish season of their own — it never all came together.
Jackson declined to endorse Harbaugh returning for a 19th season, saying the loss was still too fresh to zoom out on what it might mean for the franchise going forward.
Harbaugh, for his part, certainly seems up for running it back in the fall.
“I love these guys,” he said afterward. “I love these guys.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, right, hands the ball off to running back Derrick Henry (22) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks with an offical during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, left, greets Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jabrill Peppers (40) reacts after Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop (33) missed a field goal attempt in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
