Kyle Lohse and Matt Holliday lead the Cardinals past the Cubs
Posted: 07.20.2012 at 11:49 PM
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(AP) -- Kyle Lohse worked seven strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals' slumbering offense ended Ryan Dempster's 33-inning scoreless streak with a three-run first in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.


Matt Holliday added a third-inning home run estimated at 469 feet, the longest at 7-year-old Busch Stadium.


Lohse (10-2) won his fourth straight decision over five starts to complement a lineup that topped three runs for the first time in 12 games.


The defending World Series champions found an unlikely victim in Dempster (5-4), who hadn't allowed a run since May 30 while winning five straight starts.

He entered with a major league-best 1.86 ERA before running into immediate trouble, giving up four straight singles in a span of six pitches with one out.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)