CHICAGO — In the series and season finale against the Cubs, it was Joshua Baez’s teammates' turn to leave an impression on the archrivals.

A day after Baez homered three times in his first three at-bats to make major league history, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker took their RBI derby to the “Friendly Confines” to see who might lead the National League in the present. Burleson homered and had four RBIs, while Walker homered and also had four RBIs in the Cardinals’ 11-4 win Sunday at Wrigley Field.

Burleson finished the game with 90 RBIs on the season.

Walker has 88.

While trailing the second-place Cubs (72-53) by several lengths in the standings, the Cardinals (63-61) have had a few romps at Wrigley. The final game on the regular-season schedule between the two teams was the second rout of the season for the Cardinals at Wrigley. In their previous visit, they hammered the Cubs 17-1 in a game. They won four of the six games on the North Side this season, and they outscored the Cubs 43-18 at their ballpark this summer.

Burleson’s two-run homer in the first inning started the Cardinals’ scoring, and Walker’s two-run double in the eighth concluded it. Burleson finished with three hits and four RBIs to go with his two runs, and Walker had three extra-base hits to go with his four RBIs.

In his first career start at Wrigley, Hunter Dobbins (3-3) struck out seven and held the Cubs to two runs, both on a homer, and two hits in five innings.

The Cardinals have won four consecutive series before heading to Cincinnati for a mega-series of five games in four days to start their week.

That is their second stop on this three-city swing.

Dobbins sharp in Wrigley debut

Not everything about the Cardinals’ weekend at the “Friendly Confines” had to do with offense.

Most of it, sure — but the starting pitchers also asserted themselves.

Matthew Liberatore had a reassuring start Friday night for the Cardinals in a loss, and Michael McGreevy flipped the results on a Cubs lineup that had tenderized his ERA for a few innings earlier this season. Dobbins followed Sunday for what could have been a long-haul outing given Monday’s doubleheader and the use of the bullpen already. Manager Oli Marmol said before the game that lumping innings on Dobbins’ shoulder was not his goal, though he acknowledged the right-hander would relish the challenge.

Dobbins pitched like he might just take care of the innings anyway.

Operating with six different pitches, Dobbins retired the first six Cubs he faced and eight of the first nine. The first of four walks he issued proved to be the most problematic because it put a runner on base ahead of Pete Crow-Armstrong’s home run. The MVP candidate and Cubs center field drilled a pitch 408 feet into the right field seats to cut the Cardinals lead down to 3-2. That would be as close the Cubs got in part because of how Dobbins did from there.

He caught Seiya Suzuki looking to end that inning.

Dobbins’ next nine outs did not leave the infield.

After the homer, Dobbins got six of his seven strikeouts, and he was able to finish at least one strikeout with five different pitches. Suzuki struck out for a third time against Dobbins when the right-hander bent a sweeping slider past his swing to end the fifth inning. That inning also included a 95.1 mph fastball that brushed the upper outside edge of the strike zone against Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs outfielder challenged the call only to watch with Dobbins and the fans remaining from the 39,395 that started the game as the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System confirmed the strike.

Burly flexes early for RBI lead

Baez didn’t even have to get to the plate before the Cardinals started showing off their power.

As he did Saturday to prime the inning for Baez’s first home run, leadoff hitter and rookie JJ Wetherholt reached base to start the game. The left-handed-hitting rookie infielder flipped a ball down the third-base line that bounced into the seats for a rulebook double.

Two batters later, the Cardinals had a 2-0 lead.

One of the side competitions for the Cardinals this season is the duel between Burleson and Walker for who leads the team — and possibly the National League — in RBIs. Burleson brought an 86 to 84 lead into Sunday’s season finale against the Cubs and then added on to it. His 21st home run of the season drove in Wetherholt for a 2-0 lead and his 87th and 88th RBIs of the season.

Burleson would have 90 by the end of the fourth.

The home run Burleson hit carried toward the highest rows of bleachers beyond right field at Wrigley. The ball traveled an estimated 421 feet.

Cardinals walk then run, run, run

The Cubs shuffled up their pitching plans for the weekend on Friday, and instead of throwing a second consecutive lefty against the Cardinals, they slipped Edward Cabrera into the mix. Cabrera had been on the injured list for nearly six weeks with a hamstring strain, and there were times during the outing that it appeared as if Cabrera was still searching for his control.

One of those times contributed to a six-run outburst by the Cardinals.

But not as much as an optimistic pitching decision by manager Craig Counsell.

After a ground ball ricocheted off him before being fielding by third baseman Alex Bregman for the out, Cabrera walked the next two batters.

That brought up No. 9 hitter Blaze Jordan with a runner already in scoring position and the chance to flip the lineup and get the top involved. Jordan delivered an RBI single in the second inning to nudge the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0. Jordan threaded a single to left for another single that loaded the bases.

Cabrera walked Wetherholt to force home a run.

Ivan Herrera lofted a sacrifice fly to score another run.

And that was the end of Cabrera’s game.

Counsell made the choice to replace him with lefty Ryan Rolison. The upside was a better matchup with mashing Burleson, but the risk was assuring that Rolison would have to face right-handed batters Walker and Baez if he did not retire Burleson. Retire Burleson and the inning would be over, and the three-batter minimum wouldn’t apply. If Rolison missed with Burleson, however, he’d have to face at least one right-handed batter, by rule.

He missed.

Burleson lashed a two-run single to left field on Rolison’s first pitch.

That hit moved the Cardinals’ lead to 7-2 and put Rolison in an even bigger bind by having to face Walker.

Walker exploited the favorable matchup Counsell created.

The Cardinals right fielder followed Burleson’s 89th and 90th RBIs with a home run to score Burleson and himself for his 85th and 86th RBIs. Walker’s 24th homer of the season landed in a basket above center field to turn the game into another rout at Wrigley for the Cardinals.

Rolison got a fly ball from Baez to end the inning, but the accumulation of walks and Counsell’s call had widened the Cardinals lead to seven runs.

Walker gets angry from getting plunked

In his next at-bat after the home run, Walker took an inside pitch off his hand that caromed to also knock off his batting helmet. He was not thrilled, and his glare at pitcher Aaron Civale made that clear. Even leading off first base, the Cardinals cleanup hitter was clearly frustrated by how he struck by a pitch.

There were already two Cardinals on base after Burleson’s double when Walker came to the plate in the sixth inning against Civale.

The right-hander wedged a pitch inside on Walker.

Walker started his swing but then stopped, tucked in his hands and tried to avoid the pitch that appeared headed for his chest. The ball struck his hand and then continued toward his face and the batting helmet. Walker was met by trainers on the field but continued to seem more irritated than sore.

He would not get another chance to face Civale.

That did not stop him from leaving a bruise.

In the eighth inning, Walker welcomed reliever Trent Thornton to the game by smacking a double off the right field ivy. Walker’s second double of the game also doubled up his RBIs for the day and scored two teammates for his 87th and 88th of the season to stay on Burleson’s heels.

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