ST. LOUIS — After a power-packed beginning to the series that put the Cardinals in position to really chew into the Cubs’ division lead and make a case as a challenger, the home team finished quietly right back where it started.

The Cardinals went the final 22 innings of the Cubs’ four-day visit without scoring a run, and when they finally got the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning Thursday with no outs ... they also did not score a run. Three consecutive strikeouts left them shut out for the second consecutive game in a 3-0 loss at Busch Stadium.

When the game ended, some fight did surface.

Willson Contreras, who was hit on the hand by an up-and-in pitch in the ninth, shouted at the Cubs and momentarily appeared ready to confront Cubs pitcher Daniel Palencia. The Cubs reliever celebrated his third strikeout of the inning and securing the win, and as he did so looked toward Contreras at first base. That prompted Contreras’ response, and the dugouts emptied. No clash came from the event — just an interruption of the Cubs’ victory handshake line.

The series split meant the Cubs left St. Louis exactly where they were when they arrived — with a 4 1/2-game lead in the division.

The teams meet again in Chicago for the Fourth of July weekend.

Cardinals starter Andre Pallante limited the Cubs to two runs on seven hits through his five innings. He had some ground balls slip through that helped prolong one inning, and he needed 94 pitches to collect the 15 outs. He did get a dozen swings and misses, and when the Cubs had a chance to break the game wide open, Pallante resisted.

He got the ground ball to neutralize a threat and buy time for an offense that never arrived.

The Cardinals managed one hit against Cubs starter Shoto Imanaga in his return from the injured list and a hamstring injury. Imanaga pitched five scoreless innings in his first appearance in the majors since May 4. The Cardinals’ second batter of the first inning, Masyn Winn, singled off Imanaga, and the Cardinals did not get another hit in the game until they were wading into the Cubs bullpen.

Their third of the game led off the ninth. The plunk of Contreras followed, and then the inning fizzled like so many before it without a run appearing.

2 walks plus 1 sprint means zero runs

The scoreless streak entered its 20th inning when former Cubs catcher Contreras drew a one-out walk from reliever Brad Keller. Contreras enthusiastically flipped his bat toward the Cardinals dugout — and a team held to one hit through the first seven innings and no hits since the first inning had a base runner.

Contreras quickly became the first Cardinal to see scoring position when he advanced on a wild pitch from Keller.

Contreras’ spot at first was taken by Nolan Arenado after his walk.

A groundout cost the Cardinals their lead runner, but still they were able to get the go-ahead run to the plate in Nolan Gorman. The Cardinals’ resurgent slugger, who is seeing more playing time due to his performance and injuries elsewhere, drilled a pitch from the right-handed Keller toward deep center field. The ball left Gorman’s bat at 100.6 mph, and it traveled an estimated 376 feet, according to Statcast.

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, one of the swiftest fielders in the league, ran 378 feet to reach the ball and had to slide at the warning track to reach back and make the catch. The would-be game-tying single instead was a sliding catch in center.

A first at Busch by a Busch

In his eight previous games at St. Louis’ downtown ballpark that shares his name, Cubs first baseman Michael Busch hit .182 with one double mixed into his six hits.

In his ninth game at Busch, Busch did what no Busch or Bush ever had.

In the second inning, Busch lifted a full-count, four-seam fastball into the seats for the first run of Thursday’s ballgame. The home run was the first hit by a player with the last name Busch or Bush at any of the three Busch Stadiums that the Cardinals have called home, according to research by the Cardinals’ media relations staff.

With two outs, Busch worked through a seven-pitch at-bat against Pallante to get the fastball he hit for his 13th homer of the season. That would lead the Cardinals this season, and Busch hit sixth for the Cubs. Busch would later single off of Pallante in the fourth inning, and through 6 1/2 innings the runs scored by Busch were the only runs scored at Busch for the day.

Whims of contact pitching

In the fourth inning, Pallante experienced the whims of being a contact pitcher.

He got the ground balls that he wanted from three of the first four batters he faced. Two slipped through, threading between infielders for base hits. Coupled with a sharp line-drive single by Busch, and the Cubs had the bases loaded with one out and only one hard-hit ball. Busch’s would not be the last line drive of the inning.

That came off the bat of Matt Shaw.

But, as if compensating for the ground balls that got through, Shaw’s liner was right at third baseman Arenado to give Pallante an opportunity to escape the bases-loaded mess. Instead of a double down the line to clear the bases, Shaw’s liner found Arenado’s glove for the second out of the inning.

Pallante did not take advantage.

He walked leadoff hitter Ian Happ on four pitches to force home the second run of the game and force Pallante to face one of the top hitters in the majors with the bases loaded.

True to the inning, Kyle Tucker hit a ground ball to end the inning.

Cubs steal an insurance run

The kind of double steal the Cardinals sometimes try to bait an opponent into chaos they had pulled against them — with the added sprinkle of Crow-Armstrong speed.

With former Cardinals catcher Carson Kelly at the plate and runners at the corners in the eighth inning, the Cubs put a runner in position. Dansby Swanson broke from first as if to steal second. Reliever Kyle Leahy turned and threw to first.

The caper was afoot.

When the throw went to first, Crow-Armstrong broke from third.

With his elite speed, Contreras had the choice to throw home and attempt an out or stick with the rundown of Swanson and assure an out. Instead of throwing home, Contreras threw to shortstop Masyn Winn. Swanson milked the rundown for a bit more time that wasn’t necessary as Crow-Armstrong slid home for the Cubs’ 3-0 lead. Swanson’s caught stealing between the bases means Crow-Armstrong, by rule, is not credited with a steal of home.

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