7/29 Extra bases

* Darwin Barney had his fourth three-hit game of the season, coming after he did not start Saturday.

“He gets tomorrow off, too,” Dale Sveum said.

He was joking.

“If he gives me the day off, and the next day, I get three hits, I’ll do it,” Barney said.

* Since making his debut June 26, Anthony Rizzo leads all NL rookies with a .333 batting average, seven home runs and 17 RBIs.

* Starlin Castro was hitting .328 (19-for-58) against the Cardinals this year.

* With Sunday’s win, the Cubs are 12-3 in their last 15 home games. The Cubs are 6-8 against the Cardinals this year.

“We can’t be playing well and come in here and lose to the Cubs,” St. Louis’ Matt Holliday said. “We can’t lose this series. But we did. The only way to get better is to play better. We didn’t get the result we were looking for.”

They’ll meet one more time at Wrigley Field, Sept. 21-23.

– Carrie Muskat