Clay Holmes was dominant on the mound Friday as the Cubs shut out the Cardinals 3-0 at home. Holmes allowed one hit over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, per multiple reports, with at least one account noting he carried a perfect game into the sixth inning.
The game remained scoreless through much of the early innings. One source described the first two-thirds of the contest as "a scoreless and nearly hitless duel," with the Cardinals unable to record a hit through five innings thanks to Holmes' pitching. The Cubs themselves were hitless through four innings, similar to a Thursday game against Washington.
Chicago broke through in the late innings when Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run homer, which accounted for all the Cubs' scoring in the victory. The win gave the Cubs a glimpse of what the team's new-look rotation could offer, per MLB.com's reporting.