Stepping up were center fielder Matt Szczur and right fielder Jorge Soler. Szczur was 3-for-4 with 4 runs scored, 2 homers, a double and 3 RBI. He enjoyed the first multihomer game of his career in his first start as a leadoff batter.

Soler was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs, a homer and 2 RBI. It’s one thing for bench players such as Szczur to get a start. It’s a bigger lift when they produce.

“I think it’s great for the ballclub because 25 guys are here, and 25 guys are going to produce, no matter what position you’re in,” said Szczur, who has a line of .317/.368/.508 with 5 homers and 22 RBI in 126 at-bats. “Joe mixes, matches. Today, he gave pretty much all his starters a day off. We’re still able to put up 13 runs. I feel it helps him as well as the players knowing, ‘Hey, we don’t have to grind this one out today. We got guys in the lineup who can produce.’”

The Cubs hit Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright early and often, scoring twice in the first inning on doubles by Szczur, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell.

They added five in the second, with the key blast being a 3-run homer by Willson Contreras. Szczur hit a solo homer in the sixth and a 2-run shot in the seventh. Javier Baez got the 4-run seventh going with a 2-run homer.

Cubs ace Jake Arrieta was on the mound. The reigning Cy Young Award winner improved to 14-5 with a 2.55 ERA with 5? innings of 4-hit, 1-run ball.

Errors lengthened the second and fourth innings for Arrieta, who wound up throwing 105 pitches.

“Did a pretty good job, overall, wind blowing out,” Arrieta said. “To limit those guys to one run is a pretty good effort. I would have liked to get deeper into the game. But I did enough to get the win.”

Maddon said he was impressed by Arrieta.

“I thought Jake pitched pretty well,” the manager said. “We kind of put Jake in a bind by not catching the ball. That cost him another inning. I thought Jake pitched better than 5?. He had a chance to go more deeply into the game because, uncharacteristically, we missed some plays that we normally make.

“The fastball had that little extra life at the end. The strike-throwing was better. The curveball had great depth. I could honestly say from the side that reminded me of last year, physically.”