updated 6:38 p.m. ET April 23, 2006

ST. LOUIS - Greg Maddux is turning back the clock for a team missing its offensive star and two of its best pitchers.

The four-time NL Cy Young Award winner, who turned 40 earlier this month, threw seven scoreless innings on Sunday to help the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3. He has won his first four starts for the first time in his career, to go with a miniscule 0.99 ERA.

Maddux’s big start is helping rescue a team that doesn’t have Derrek Lee, Mark Prior or Kerry Wood.

“It’s just amazing what he does because he’s not throwing 94, 93 mph,” outfielder Juan Pierre said. “You watch Greg Maddux, that’s an art.”

Maddux (4-0) held the Cardinals to five hits and also singled and scored, helping the Cubs avert a three-game sweep and win for the first time in three games since losing Lee for at least two months with a broken wrist. This is the first 4-0 start for Maddux since 2000 with the Braves when he needed six starts, and it’s his first four-game winning streak since July 17-Aug. 7, 2004.

All month, Maddux has insisted that he’s doing nothing different and not trying to fill the void.

“I wish I could explain it,” Maddux said. “Personally, I’m just getting ready to pitch like I always have, I’m just catching a lot of breaks.

“Sometimes you catch a few breaks in this game, and right now I am.”

Jacque Jones hit his second homer, and second against the Cardinals, leading off the fourth against Jason Marquis (3-1).

Aramis Ramirez, who entered the game in a 3-for-18 slump, hit a two-run shot into the visitor’s bullpen beyond the left-field wall in the fifth.

Todd Walker batted in Lee’s third slot for the third straight game and had two hits and three RBIs to raise his average to .408 for the Cubs, who completed a 5-4 road trip.

“It’s nice to get a win without Derrek,” Walker said. “We can start believing we can do it.”

Albert Pujols, who had six RBIs the first two games of the series and entered with the major-league lead in homers (11) and RBIs (26), was 0-for-4.

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Maddux, the only 40-plus right-handed starter in the major leagues, struck out four and his only walk came to the first batter he faced, David Eckstein. He threw a season-high 93 pitches and lowered his ERA 34 points, mastering the Cardinals for the second time.

“He’s not coming with heat; he’s never coming with heat,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s coming with a lot of intelligence and a great feel for pitching.”

In two starts against the Cardinals, he’s 2-0 and has given up one run on nine hits in 13 1-3 innings. Since turning 40 on April 14, he’s surrendered one run on eight hits in 15 innings.

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