On a windy Sunday evening at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals’ offense flexed its muscles in a 7-3 win over the Cubs, clinching a series victory in the five-game, four-day set after sweeping a doubleheader on Saturday.

With their third straight win over the Cubs, the Cardinals moved within 1 1/2 games of the National League Central leaders.

• Box score

“We just play,” manager Mike Shildt said of the standings. “We’re always taking care of our business, and we put our head down and we play regardless of where we are. I think we’ve proven that, and it’s a good trait for the group. We look to execute our game every night.”

Here are three takeaways from a dominant Cardinals performance.

Goldschmidt, Bader lead offense
The veteran in the lineup, Paul Goldschmidt, paired with center fielder looking to assert himself, Harrison Bader, to spark the Cardinals’ offense. Goldschmidt’s three-run monster home run off Cubs lefty Jon Lester in the third landed on Waveland Avenue and gave the Cardinals a 4-3 lead.

Bader, who entered Sunday 0-for-10 over the last eight games (three starts), knocked three hits and was on base four times with a hit-by-pitch, two doubles and a single. Bader is rotating in center field with Lane Thomas and Dylan Carlson as the Cardinals’ outfielders search for production. Bader’s night was a step forward.

“Everything is very simple, in my mind, with regards to how this season’s been playing out,” Bader said. “The lack of fans, everything involved, it’s just much quieter, it’s more simple. When you just hone that and breathe a little bit and relax, you can unlock a lot of things. I’m just showing up every single day ready to win a baseball game, that’s all there is to it. Whether I’m starting or called in at the end of the game, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Two homers, six hits and five runs chased Lester (2-2) after 3 1/3 innings. Designated hitter Rangel Ravelo’s RBI double added the fourth run of the third inning, and Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong added RBI singles in the sixth to extend the Cardinals’ lead.

Every Cardinals starter reached base at least once.

“Good at-bats all the way through the lineup,” Shildt said. “I love the fact that we go down and we punch right back with Goldy’s monster home run. And then add on, that was important as well. The process has been good, and the results are starting to get more consistent as we’d expect.”

Hudson navigates wind, bears down in third
Goldschmidt sought out Dakota Hudson with some reassurance in the dugout after the Cardinals starter allowed three runs on two home runs in the first and second innings.

“Goldy looks at me and goes, ‘You know what, on this kind of day, we’re going to score runs. You just get in there, get after it as much as you can. We’ll go from there and battle with what we got,’” Hudson said.

Goldschmidt gave Hudson the lead just a few minutes later, and then Hudson (2-2) held it. He navigated the wind and the Cubs’ lineup to get through five innings, allowing three runs and two walks with four strikeouts. In the bottom of the third, Hudson got through a clean inning by striking out Kris Bryant and getting Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez to fly out.

“Just trying to get my corners, try to keep the ball down,” Hudson said. “Just get ahead. Honestly, all the way through the game they grinded me out a little bit, and took some innings from me I feel like. But just try to get the ball down, keep it on the ground and be able to keep them off balance as much as I could.”

‘Electric’ bullpen goes to work
Alex Reyes looked practically unhittable when he relieved Hudson in the sixth inning. The right-hander was on his game, striking out three in 1 2/3 innings, and when he does that, the 25-year-old can be lethal for the Cardinals 'pen. The deception on his breaking balls and movement on his fastball keep hitters off balance and shaking their heads.

In the seventh inning, Reyes got the first two outs before lefty Génesis Cabrera came in and struck out Ian Happ swinging with a 98-mph elevated fastball. Cabrera struck out four in 1 1/3 innings.

“It’s a huge weapon,” Shildt said. “That was electric stuff. That was plus, plus stuff from Alex and Génesis. They’re on the plate. They’re controlling counts with everything they’re throwing. Had a lot of life to their heater, and then their secondary pitches were really sharp. Man, you’re talking about electric stuff in the zone. That’s pretty special.”

Giovanny Gallegos shut things down in the ninth. The Cardinals' bullpen had eight strikeouts in four innings -- the second time it has done that this season, both times against the Cubs. In four games this series, the bullpen has allowed two runs in 14 2/3 innings, once again emerging as a strength for a team racing toward the postseason -- and a potential division title.

“Those guys all year have been nails,” Hudson said. “It’s been unbelievable letting them take the ball and go.”