Cardinals Held to Three Hits in 6-2 Loss to Pirates
The Cardinal Chronicle Cardinals Held to Three Hits in 6-2 Loss to Pirates
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals managed only three hits Saturday afternoon as the Pittsburgh Pirates evened the weekend series with a 6-2 victory at Busch Stadium.
Joshua Báez supplied the Cardinals’ only earned run with his fifth major league home run, but Pittsburgh broke open a one-run game when Rafael Flores Jr. hit a three-run homer against Brycen Mautz in the fifth inning.
The loss dropped St. Louis to 68-69 and back below .500 with 25 games remaining.
Pittsburgh struck quickly against Kyle Leahy when Brandon Lowe hit his 28th home run of the season in the first inning. Leahy worked three innings in what amounted to a bullpen game for the Cardinals, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Báez tied the game in the third, driving a pitch from opener Lake Bachar over the left-field wall. The home run accounted for the Cardinals’ first hit and briefly gave the offense some life.
The tie did not last long.
Jake Mangum and Flores opened the fourth with consecutive singles against Mautz before Jacob Gonzalez drove home Mangum with a single to center, giving Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead.
The Pirates delivered the decisive blow an inning later. Bryan Reynolds singled, Oneil Cruz followed with another base hit and Flores drove a three-run homer to center, extending the lead to 5-1.
Mautz, making his major league debut, showed swing-and-miss ability with eight strikeouts in three innings, but the Pirates scored four runs on six hits against the left-hander. He walked one and took the loss.
St. Louis scored an unearned run in the sixth after Pittsburgh committed three errors in the inning. Jordan Walker reached on Gonzalez’s first error and advanced when the Pirates shortstop mishandled another ball. Walker scored when Oneil Cruz committed an error in center field, but the Cardinals could not take further advantage.
Nolan Gorman and Báez popped out to strand runners at second and third, ending the club’s best opportunity to get back into the game.
Carmen Mlodzinski earned the victory with 3 1/3 innings of relief, allowing one hit and one unearned run. Gregory Soto, Luke Weaver and Mason Montgomery combined to retire the Cardinals over the final three innings.
Báez, Nathan Church and Jimmy Crooks collected the Cardinals’ only hits. Crooks doubled and was hit by a pitch, while St. Louis finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
Nick Gonzales added an RBI double against Ryan Fernandez in the ninth to complete the scoring.
Cade Winquest provided two scoreless innings for the Cardinals, allowing no hits while striking out two.
The Cardinals and Pirates will decide the three-game series Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. CDT.
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Photo Credit: Ramon Urias, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB