ST. LOUIS _ Miles Mikolas pitched seven scoreless innings and Tommy Pham hit a three-run home run as the Cardinals opened a three-game series with the Cubs with a 3-2 win Friday night at sold-out Busch Stadium.
Mikolas (4-0) allowed seven hits, the last one coming to lead off the eighth inning before he was relieved. The Cardinals used four relievers.
Pham's homer in the second inning came after Dexter Fowler opened by reaching on an error and Jedd Gyorko dribbled a single up the third-base line. The two-out homer, Pham's fifth, made all of the runs against Cubs starter Jose Quintana unearned. Quintana lasted only four innings.
Pham drove the ball over the Cubs' bullpen in left-center field.
Chicago's biggest threat against Mikolas came in the fifth inning when Javier Baez singled and Ian Happ doubled with one out. However, Mikolas struck out Ben Zobrist looking and got Kris Bryant to ground out.
The Cubs scored twice in the ninth inning against Bud Norris, who got Bryant to ground into a force out to end the game. Norris picked up his seventh save.
Marcell Ozuna picked up three hits for the Cardinals and reached base four times.
