Cardinals Bats Come Alive as St. Louis Defeat Pirates 5-1
The St. Louis Cardinals responded with a strong offensive performance Wednesday night, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 at PNC Park.
After a quiet opening inning, Pittsburgh struck first in the bottom of the second. Brandon Lowe launched a 434-foot home run off Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore, giving the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.
St. Louis quickly answered in the third inning. JJ Wetherholt opened the rally with a single before Iván Herrera drew a walk. Alec Burleson then delivered an RBI single to score Wetherholt and tie the game.
Herrera later scored on a wild pitch, putting the Cardinals ahead 2-1. Leo Bernal followed with an RBI single, extending St. Louis’ lead to 3-1.
The Cardinals continued to apply pressure in the fourth inning. José Fermín reached on an infield single before Masyn Winn doubled to bring him home. Wetherholt followed with another RBI single, scoring Winn and giving St. Louis a 5-1 advantage.
Liberatore settled down after surrendering the early home run. He kept the Pirates off the scoreboard through five innings and worked into the sixth before manager Oli Marmol turned to the bullpen.
Luis Gastelum recorded the final out of the sixth without allowing further damage. The Cardinals’ bullpen continued to hold Pittsburgh in check, with Ryne Stanek delivering a scoreless eighth inning.
Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning, marking his 31st hit-by-pitch of the season and tying the Cardinals’ franchise record.
St. Louis had another scoring opportunity in the eighth but could not add to its lead. The Pirates were unable to mount a late comeback, however, as George Soriano closed out the game in the ninth inning.
Soriano worked around a leadoff walk and retired the final three batters to secure the Cardinals’ victory.
JJ Wetherholt finished the night with three hits, while the Cardinals’ offense provided Liberatore with the run support he needed.
Final Score: St. Louis Cardinals 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 1
The Cardinals will face the Pirates one final time in the series Thursday. Pittsburgh is scheduled to start Paul Skenes, while St. Louis will counter with Kyle Leahy, who is expected to be limited by his pitch count.
First pitch is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. at PNC Park.
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