ST. LOUIS _ The rarity of second baseman Ben Zobrist committing an error on a routine play and pitcher John Lackey collecting two hits was upstaged Thursday as two stranger developments gave the Cubs a festive sendoff from what seemed like an eternity at Busch Stadium.
The first oddity _ a third strike that bounced and stuck in the middle of the chest protector of Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina _ enabled pinch-hitter Matt Szczur to reach first base to start the seventh inning.
The second _ the sight of 6-foot, 240-pound slugger Kyle Schwarber as the leadoff hitter _ is developing into a perfect blend for manager Joe Maddon.
Schwarber punctuated his new role when he smacked a three-run homer off left-hander Brett Cecil shortly after Molina's mishap to lift the Cubs to a 6-4 victory over the rival Cardinals.
The fact Schwarber has a .500 on-base percentage in three games leading off isn't lost on him or his teammates. And that he hasn't sacrificed his power is a dangerous weapon for the Cubs.
Schwarber's game-winning homer occurred one day short of the one-year anniversary of his tearing two ligaments in his left knee in his third game last year that sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season.
During the Cubs' raucous postgame celebration, Schwarber recalled a teammate yelling that he made it healthy past game three.
"And we all went crazy," Schwarber said with a smile.
Schwarber has reached base in seven of his first 14 plate appearances and manager Joe Maddon's decision to bat the starting pitcher eighth should create more run producing opportunities for Schwarber from that top spot.
After Szczur, hitting for Lackey, reached first on Cecil's wild pitch, Jon Jay drew a walk before Schwarber transformed a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead with his home run that traveled an estimated 404 feet down the right-field line.
"Some of the guys batting at the bottom of the lineup could be batting in the middle of the order somewhere else," Schwarber said.
For his part, Lackey helped his cause after Zobrist mishandled a throw from shortstop Addison Russell on a potential inning-ending double play that led to three runs in the first.
In the fifth, Lackey singled off Lance Lynn, who missed all of 2016 after right elbow surgery. The he wasn't afraid to test the arm of former teammate Dexter Fowler as he beat a throw to third on Jay's single that scored Jason Heyward with the Cubs' first run.
"(Fowler) kind of came in slow on the ball, and I saw that and kept going," Lackey said.
Lackey's hitting and hustle illustrated Maddon's pleasure with how his players didn't become lackadaisical after arriving last Friday in St. Louis and having to stay an extra day because of Wednesday's rainout.
"We're concluding our second spring training," Maddon quipped. "We've had one in Arizona and we've had one in Missouri.
"After spending a month in St. Louis (winning two of three games) is pretty neat."
