Steele pitches Cubs past Cardinals 6-2 behind homers from Tauchman and Amaya

CHICAGO (AP) — Justin Steele pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Chicago Cubs topped the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 on Sunday night for their fourth win in five games.

Mike Tauchman and Miguel Amaya both homered in the sixth and finished with two hits and two runs scored to help the Cubs overcome an early 2-0 deficit. Chicago took three of four from its NL Central rival at Wrigley Field.

St. Louis rookie Masyn Winn lofted a two-run homer in the third for the only scoring off Steele. The shortstop’s ninth home run was his third in six games and second of the series.

“Justin today... was really crisp for the first two innings,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He fell behind Masyn Winn and kind of recovered from that and was really sharp the rest of the day.”

Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger had RBIs as Chicago pulled ahead with two runs in the fifth. Dansby Swanson drove in a run and the Cubs plated another on a balk by Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.

Steele (3-5) rebounded from a rough outing at Cincinnati last Tuesday, retiring 12 straight Cardinals hitters during one stretch. The left-hander struck out six and walked two in 6 2/3 innings before being relieved by Porter Hodge after throwing 99 pitches on a humid evening.

“Even with the homer I gave up, I feel like I was still pitching somewhat decent," Steele said. “But I felt throughout the entire game, for the most part, I was in control where the ball was going. I was commanding the ball.”

Julian Merryweather tossed a 1-2-3 ninth, retiring the side on six pitches to finish a combined four-hitter.

Tauchman started in left field as the replacement for Ian Happ, a late scratch with left shoulder soreness. Happ, a two-time Gold Glove winner, got banged up crashing into the outfield wall in the ninth inning on Saturday trying to make a catch.

Heading into Sunday night, Tauchman's previous at-bat was on Thursday, when he pinch-hit in the ninth and delivered a game-ending double to cap Chicago's 5-4 comeback win.

“You just stay ready,” Tauchman said. “I want to win with this group. I believe in this group. Whatever role that ends up being, it just kind of is what it is.”

Mikolas (8-9) yielded four runs on eight hits and two walks in four-plus innings.

Winn’s homer barely carried into the basket in right-center and put St. Louis ahead 2-0. His previous shot, on Thursday, narrowly reached the basket in left.

The Cubs tied it 2-all in the fourth. Isaac Paredes scored from third on Swanson’s groundout. Tauchman, who had doubled, came home from third on Mikolas’ balk.

The balk was called by plate umpire Clint Vondrak for an illegal movement toward the plate.

“I was engaged and I was moving, but I moved my back foot first,” Mikolas said. "I asked the first base umpire, ‘I’m allowed to step off whenever I want?’ He said, ‘Yes.’

"And so where is the balk? I didn’t have a chance to talk to the home plate umpire in the moment, either. I was a little confused, a little frustrated.”

Chicago moved ahead 4-2 in the fifth. The Cubs took the lead with three straight singles capped by Busch’s RBI hit.

Mikolas walked Seiya Suzuki to load the bases and was relieved by John King. Bellinger followed with a sacrifice fly.

Tauchman hit his sixth homer leading off the sixth, then Amaya added his fourth as Chicago pulled away.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Placed rookie CF Michael Siani (right oblique strain) on the 10-day IL and recalled OF Victor Scott II from Triple-A Memphis. St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol wasn’t sure how long the speedy Siani will be sidelined. ... Lars Nootbaar started in center.

Cubs: Counsell said Happ is day-to-day and his injury doesn't appear to be serious.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP André Pallante (4-5, 4.04 ERA) faces Mets LHP Sean Manaea (7-4, 3.50) in St. Louis on Monday in a makeup of a May 8 rainout.

Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (3-9, 6.86) takes the mound against Twins RHP David Festa (1-2, 6.98) at Wrigley Field on Monday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn, right, celebrates with Lars Nootbaar after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas throws against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch runs after hitting a one-run single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John King reacts after Chicago Cubs' Mike Tauchman hit a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch hits a one-run single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Miguel Amaya, right, celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki, of Japan, looks at St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) tosses a ball after Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch hit a one-run single during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

St. Louis Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt reacts after striking out swinging during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Miguel Amaya, right, celebrates with third base coach Willie Harris, left, after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas reacts after Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a double during the second inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Mike Tauchman celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Mike Tauchman, center, celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins was handcuffed and placed face down on a street outside the team's stadium after he was stopped for speeding and reckless driving Sunday morning before the Dolphins' first game of the season, an incident that left the star wide receiver baffled and resulted in a police officer being placed on administrative leave.

The officer, who was not identified, was one of at least three involved in detaining Hill. Some fans saw Hill being handcuffed and captured video on their way to the game, and it quickly went viral on social media.

Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie V. Daniels said she had launched an internal affairs investigation.

Told after the game that the officer was placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Hill said: “That should tell you everything you need to know.”

Added defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who was also briefly handcuffed after coming to his teammate’s aid: “That makes sense based on the situation.”

Hill, who said he respects police officers and wants to be one when he retires from football, said he “had no idea” why police placed him in handcuffs.

“I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”

Hill starred on the field for the Dolphins, catching seven passes for 130 yards — including an 80-yard touchdown that helped Miami rally for a 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill celebrated the score by mimicking being handcuffed.

Hill, who is Black, said he didn't want to use his celebrity to get out of the situation but wondered what would’ve happened if he weren’t an NFL star.

“I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets kind of iffy when you do,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done. I was just making sure that I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you’re in a situation like that: ‘Just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen.’”

Daniels said in a statement earlier Sunday that she requested an “immediate review” of the details surrounding the incident, adding that the department would review available body camera footage.

In a later statement, Daniels said: “I'm committed to transparency and accountability to the community with any situation involving my officers."

Hill said everything happened so fast it caught him off guard.

“I’m just glad that my teammates were there to support me in that situation because I felt alone,” Hill added.

Campbell said he was driving into Hard Rock Stadium when he saw Hill handcuffed, and he stopped to help. The 17-year NFL veteran ended up in handcuffs as well, saying officers told him it was because he disobeyed their direct orders.

“I’d seen, I feel like excessive force, so I get out of the car to kind of just try to de-escalate the situation,” Campbell said, also calling the incident “a bit extreme.”

Hill, who led the NFL in receiving yards in 2023, said he spoke to his wife and family after he was detained and before the game kicked off.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called it a “heartbreaking situation” on ESPN.

“How things escalated into the situation that they were in, in handcuffs and being held on the ground with police, is mindboggling to me,” Rosenhaus said. "I'm deeply concerned by that. Very troubled. We will be looking into it. We will be investigating this. We will look out for Tyreek, but I'm not going to make any allegations at this time. The most important thing is Tyreek is OK physically, mentally he was very distraught about what happened.”

It isn't the first off-field incident involving Hill.

He was accused of punching his girlfriend in college and got kicked off the team at Oklahoma State. In 2019, prosecutors in suburban Kansas City declined to charge Hill after an alleged domestic violence incident involving his fiancee and their 3-year-old child.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league has been in contact with the Dolphins about Sunday's incident, but declined to comment further.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) grabs a pass for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) gestures during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Jaguars 20-17. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill gestures after an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Jaguars 20-17. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill speaks during an NFL football post game news conference, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Jaguars 20-17. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Ronald Darby (25) defends Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) listens to agent Drew Rosenhous before NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) enters the field before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)