LONDON -- Considering the manner their disappointing season had played out to this point, few would have been surprised had a Cardinals team that fell on Saturday and was down four runs after a half-inning on Sunday eventually succumbed in the London Series finale.

Instead, the Cardinals responded to a daunting deficit with the kind of grit and resolve that has them still believing that a second-half surge is possible, one that might slingshot them back into the playoffs.

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Down four runs before the game was even three outs old, the Cardinals responded with seven unanswered runs over a four-inning stretch and got some timely relief pitching from Jake Woodford to surge past the Cubs, 7-5, for a jolly, good time in the final game of the MLB London Series from London Stadium. It marked the first time St. Louis won a game after trailing 4-0 in the first inning since Sept. 23, 2021, at Milwaukee.

¡°We do believe we have a chance at this, but in reality, if we¡¯re talking about doing something sustainable, we¡¯re going to have to pitch better and we¡¯re going to have to continue to do what we can do offensively,¡± manager Oliver Marmol said. ¡°Giving up four [runs] in the first, and some of the [defensive] miscues, those things can¡¯t happen.¡±

Willson Contreras had four hits and scored twice against his former team and five different players drove in runs for the Cardinals, who rebounded nicely from Saturday¡¯s 9-1 loss to their NL Central rivals. As much as 16 games below .500 following a recent swoon, St. Louis still believes it has the talent and experience to get back to the playoffs for a fifth straight year and author a winning season for a 16th straight year.

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¡°When we lost last night, it was a tough game for us, but today we came with a different mindset even though we started down 4-0,¡± said Contreras, who is 7-for-19 (.368) in five games against the Cubs. ¡°We never gave up, and the mindset was different. We were having good at-bats and putting the ball in play, and the results came. The bullpen shut everything down, and it was good for us to win a game coming from behind.¡±

Woodford proved to be a savior for the Cardinals with more exceptional work out of the bullpen. After throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief on Saturday, Woodford came on for struggling starter Matthew Liberatore two batters into the third inning. Woodford, a starter to begin the season when Adam Wainwright missed time with a groin injury, went 2 1/3 scoreless innings on Sunday, allowing just one hit and steadying the team as it was surging offensively.

Woodford¡¯s work sparked a Cardinals bullpen that held the Cubs to one run over the final 6 2/3 frames and kept Chicago quiet a day after it smashed 14 hits.

¡°MVP of the series, because he really locked it down and he saved us in the bullpen in the other game," said closer Jordan Hicks, who had the save a day after suffering from a high fever, muscle pain and nausea. "And today, coming out with more good innings and sacrificing his arm for us. I called [Woodford] the MVP after the game, and that¡¯s what he is. If we played every series in London, he¡¯d probably be the Cy Young or something.¡±

A crowd of 55,565 saw the Cardinals win for the fifth time in eight games on their three-city road trip through New York, Washington, D.C. and London. The two-game London Series, which will return in 2024 with the Mets and Phillies, drew a combined 110,227 fans.

¡°For a lot of us, this is our first time in Europe and baseball isn¡¯t the main sport here, so for us to have big crowds and get the crowd excited, it¡¯s good for the game,¡± said Lars Nootbaar, whose sacrifice fly scored the Cards' sixth run of the day off Cubs starter Marcus Stroman, who had entered with a sterling 2.28 ERA. ¡°Hopefully [the fans] leave today and we inspired some kids to go out and buy a glove, buy a bat and go in the backyard and play a little bit.¡±

Much like the Cardinals' disjointed season, Hicks¡¯ future was uncertain after slogging through an uneven first 2 1/2 months. But he saved four of the team¡¯s five wins on this road trip, and he has locked down the closer¡¯s job with Ryan Helsley out injured. Now, he thinks the Cardinals might have a similar surge in them.

¡°Today, we battled back with the bats, and it shows what we¡¯re really about,¡± said Hicks, who struck out Yan Gomes with a 103-mph fastball. ¡°We¡¯ve done that a couple of times on this trip -- battling back. We have the grit to win even when we¡¯re behind. We¡¯re just trying to keep winning games.¡±