ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Nico Hoerner homered and drove in four runs, Alex Bregman added a homer and two RBIs and the Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 on Monday night at Busch Stadium III.

Hoerner went 4 for 5 with a two-run homer in the ninth inning that stretched Chicago’s lead to four runs. Bregman also finished 4 for 5 with a solo homer in the third and a double that drove in the game’s first run.

David Peterson earned the win, allowing two earned runs on three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three. Matthew Liberatore took the loss for St. Louis, giving up three earned runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings while striking out five.

The Cubs improved to 60-46 and moved to 4-1 on their six-game road trip. St. Louis fell to 53-53.

Chicago scored in each of the first three innings to build a 3-1 lead. Pete Crow-Armstrong walked to open the game, and Seiya Suzuki doubled to left. Bregman followed with a ground-ball double to left, scoring Suzuki. Carson Kelly and Michael Busch struck out to end the inning.

In the second, Hoerner led off with a single to right and moved to second on a Dansby Swanson single. Miguel Amaya singled to right, scoring Hoerner. The Cubs added another run in the third when Bregman led off with a solo homer to right.

St. Louis got on the board in the bottom of the second when Jose Fermin homered to left, his fifth of the season.

The Cubs broke the game open in the fifth. Bregman singled to right, Kelly singled to center, and Busch grounded out to advance both runners. Hoerner then singled to center on a ball deflected by shortstop Masyn Winn, scoring Bregman and Kelly to make it 5-1.

The Cardinals rallied in the sixth. Jordan Walker walked, advanced to second on a groundout, and scored on a single by Winn. Bryan Torres followed with a ground-rule double down the right-field line, scoring Winn to cut the lead to 5-3.

Chicago responded in the ninth. Bregman led off with a double to right, and after two flyouts, Hoerner homered to left, scoring Bregman and putting the game out of reach.

Trent Thornton pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for Chicago, allowing one hit. Ryan Rolison struck out two in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning. Jacob Webb pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Hunter Dobbins started for St. Louis after Liberatore was lifted in the fourth. Dobbins allowed four earned runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out four.

For the Cubs, Hoerner extended his hitting streak to three games with his fourth multi-hit performance in his last five games. He was 2 for 4 with an RBI in Sunday’s loss at Pittsburgh and 1 for 4 in Saturday’s win over the Pirates.

Bregman’s four-hit night was his second of the season. He raised his batting average to .287.

Chicago outhit St. Louis 14-7. The Cubs had 11 hits through the first five innings alone.

Defensively, the Cubs turned one double play, with pitcher Matthew Liberatore starting a 1-6-3 twin-killing in the third inning.

The game lasted 2 hours, 41 minutes in front of an announced crowd of 24,209.

The Cubs continue their series at St. Louis on Tuesday, with the second of four games set for 7:15 p.m. Central. Chicago then returns home to face the New York Yankees on Friday, followed by a three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

St. Louis will host the Cubs again Tuesday and Wednesday before departing for a six-game road trip to Toronto and New York.

The Cubs have now won four of their last six games against the Cardinals after losing three straight in the previous series between the teams earlier this month. St. Louis had won three of four entering Monday’s contest.

Peterson, now 6-7, improved his record against the Cardinals this season. He had lost his only previous start against St. Louis on May 30. Liberatore dropped to 5-8.

The game marked the second time this season the Cubs scored at least seven runs against the Cardinals. Chicago scored six in a win July 5 at Wrigley Field.

Chicago’s bullpen combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three.

The Cubs’ offense was balanced throughout the lineup. Seven different players recorded hits, and five scored runs.

Hoerner’s four RBIs matched his season high, set earlier this month against Minnesota.

Bregman’s 17th double of the season in the first inning gave him his 66th RBI. His solo homer in the third was his 11th.

Winn led St. Louis with two hits and an RBI. Fermin homered for the second time in three games.

The Cardinals left five runners on base, while Chicago stranded 10.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago Cubs 7, St. Louis Cardinals 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Chicago with a 54.90 percent probability to win. The Cubs had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 10 went under the over-under line of 9.5.