ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael Busch hit a three-run home run, Matt Shaw added a homer and an RBI triple, and the Chicago Cubs routed the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 Saturday night.
After getting shut out 5-0 in Friday's series opener, the Cubs built a six-run lead against Andre Pallante (6-9) by the second inning.
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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante heads off the field after being removed during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Taylor Rogers throws during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki (27) scores past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Chicago Cubs' Matt Shaw watches his solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch follows through on a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Colin Rea (9-5) allowed one run in six innings, and Carson Kelly and Dansby Swanson each had three of Chicago’s 13 hits.
Busch set the tone by leading off the game with a double into the corner in right field, then scoring on Kyle Tucker’s RBI single. Tucker scored when right-fielder Jordan Walker’s throw got away from Willson Contreras, the cut-off man, on Kelly’s single.
In the second inning, Busch made it 5-0 by hitting his 22nd homer of the season — his sixth in eight games against St. Louis this season.
Busch hit four home runs during a three-game stretch when the Cardinals visited Wrigley Field last month, but he’d hit only three more in 25 games since.
Pallante allowed six runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings, his shortest outing in 53 career starts. He was pulled after Seiya Suzuki doubled and scored on Kelly’s RBI single.
Shaw tripled home Swanson in the third and added a 395-foot solo homer in the fifth that made it 9-0.
Lars Nootbaar doubled and scored the lone St. Louis run on Alec Burleson’s sixth-inning groundout.
The Cardinals played without All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan, a late scratch due to left groin tightness, and Contreras was removed from the game after an infield single in the sixth.
Manager Oliver Marmol described Contreras’ issue as cramping and the first baseman reported “no discomfort” after the game.
Marmol said Donovan likely would have been able to play through his injury if needed, but he could be held out of Sunday’s series finale if there are no signs of improvement.
After Pallante allowed a single to Swanson and walked Shaw despite getting ahead 0-2, catcher Yohel Pozo visited the mound. Busch drove Pallante’s next pitch 374 feet into the stands in right field for a 5-0 Cubs lead.
Busch has six home runs in 34 at-bats against St. Louis this season.
The Cubs send LHP Shota Imanaga (8-4, 3.12 ERA) against Cardinals RHP Sonny Gray (10-5, 4.21) in the series finale Sunday.
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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante heads off the field after being removed during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Taylor Rogers throws during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki (27) scores past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Chicago Cubs' Matt Shaw watches his solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch follows through on a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.
Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.
Oil prices fell Thursday as the markets appeared to take note of President Donald Trump’s shifting tone as a sign that he’s leaning away from attacking Iran after days of launching blistering threats at Tehran for its brutal crackdown.
Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday maintained that “all options remain on the table” for Trump as he deals with Iran.
Here's the latest:
The White House and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the operator of the mid-Atlantic power grid to take urgent steps to boost energy supply and curb price hikes, holding a Friday event aimed at addressing a rising concern among voters about the enormous amount of power used for artificial intelligence ahead of elections later this year.
The White House said its National Energy Dominance Council and the governors of several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, want to try to compel PJM Interconnection to hold a power auction for tech companies to bid on contracts to build new power plants.
The Trump administration and governors will sign a statement of principles toward that end Friday.
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Many Fed-watchers believe the criminal investigation into Powell’s testimony about cost overruns for Fed building renovations was intended to intimidate him out of taking that step. If Powell stays on the board, it would deny the White House a chance to gain a majority, undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to seize greater control over what has for decades been an institution largely insulated from day-to-day politics.
▶ Read more about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
Trump on Thursday announced the outlines of a health care plan he wants Congress to take up as Republicans have faced increasing pressure to address rising health costs after lawmakers let subsidies expire.
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Trump’s plan also focuses on lowering drug prices and requiring insurers to be more upfront with the public about costs, revenues, rejected claims and wait times for care.
Trump has long been dogged by his lack of a comprehensive health care plan as he and Republicans have sought to unwind former President Barack Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. Trump was thwarted during his first term in trying to repeal and replace the law.
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Most American presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to name important things in their honor.
Donald Trump isn’t leaving it to future generations.
As the first year of his second term wraps up, his Republican administration and allies have put his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships.
That’s on top of the “Trump Accounts” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website soon to offer direct sales of prescription drugs, the “Trump Gold Card” visa that costs at least $1 million and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor included in a deal his administration brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
On Friday, he plans to attend a ceremony in Florida where local officials will dedicate a 4-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of road from the airport to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
▶ Read more about Trump’s renaming efforts
Nearly a year into his second term, Trump’s work on the economy hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many people in his own party, according to a new AP-NORC survey.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds a significant gap between the economic leadership Americans remembered from Trump’s first term and what they’ve gotten so far as he creates a stunning level of turmoil at home and abroad.
Just 16% of Republicans say Trump has helped “a lot” in addressing the cost of living, down from 49% in April 2024, when an AP-NORC poll asked Americans the same question about his first term.
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There is little sign overall, though, that the Republican base is abandoning Trump. The vast majority of Republicans, about 8 in 10, approve of his job performance, compared with 4 in 10 for adults overall.
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Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.
Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.
Oil prices fell on Thursday as the markets appeared to take note of President Donald Trump’s shifting tone as a sign that he’s leaning away from attacking Iran after days of launching blistering threats at Tehran for its brutal crackdown.
Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday maintained that “all options remain on the table” for Trump as he deals with Iran.
▶ Read more about Trump and Iran
— Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani and Ben Finley
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to honor the 2025 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
