"By their own admission, the Cardinals have constructed an unsightly second half. By their own doing, they put together a perfect Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

In a 7-1 win over the Chicago Cubs, starting pitcher Adam Wainwright found justice by becoming the franchise's first pitcher since 2005 and only the fourth in 25 years to secure 20 wins in a season.

Kyle McClellan found redemption by helping him get there.

Denied the goal last October, Wainwright (20-11) joined Darryl Kile, Matt Morris and Chris Carpenter as 20-game winners since 2000 by defeating a dangerous lineup on a day with a hitter's wind. A lineup that has scratched for runs didn't make him wait for support Friday, scoring in each of the first four innings with a disciplined approach against lefthander Tom Gorzelanny.

"It's really awesome to win 20. The team put me on its back today. All I had to do was go out there and get outs," Wainwright said."