Early power and a sustained lead carried the Pittsburgh Pirates past the St. Louis Cardinals. Brandon Lowe's opening-inning homer set the tone, and Pittsburgh never gave up the advantage after reclaiming it in the fourth.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| STL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Lowe provided the spark and remained a constant presence, while Rafael Flores Jr. supplied the biggest swing of the night. Pittsburgh's offense kept pressure on St. Louis without allowing the game to settle after the Cardinals briefly tied it.
Joshua Báez tied the game for St. Louis with a homer in the third. Jacob Gonzalez then put Pittsburgh back in front when his single brought Jake Mangum home in the fourth, the go-ahead play identified in the game facts. In the fifth, Flores' homer brought Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz across the plate, extending Pittsburgh's lead. José Fermín's reaching on a fielding error allowed Jordan Walker to score for St. Louis, but Nick Gonzales later added insurance when his double brought Lowe home.
Carmen Mlodzinski earned the win for Pittsburgh after allowing an unearned run in his start. Gregory Soto and Luke Weaver followed with scoreless relief, while St. Louis' unnamed pitcher took the loss after surrendering the lead and the Pirates' middle-inning surge.
Pittsburgh extended its winning streak, while St. Louis absorbed another loss. The game belonged to early power and a lead that kept growing whenever the Cardinals threatened.
Pittsburgh Pirates defeated St. Louis Cardinals, 6-2.
- Rafael Flores went 1-for-4 with 1 home run, 3 RBIs and 1 run scored (batting .234 on the season).
- Joshua Baez went 1-for-4 with 1 home run, 1 RBI and 1 run scored (batting .170 on the season).
- Brandon Lowe went 1-for-3 with 1 home run, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored (batting .249 on the season).
- Carmen Mlodzinski allowed 1 run (0 earned) on 1 hit over 3.1 innings, striking out 2, to earn the win (7-6) (4.05 ERA).
- Gregory Soto allowed 0 runs on 1 hit over 1.0 inning (3.20 ERA).
St. Louis Cardinals fell to 68-69; Pittsburgh Pirates improved to 66-71.