The Pittsburgh Pirates snapped their nine-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The victory also avoided a series sweep for the Pirates against the Cardinals, whom they have just a 2-8 record against in 2022.
Roansy Contreras started for Pittsburgh, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Wil Crowe earned the victory, while David Bednar tallied his 11th save of the season.
Pittsburgh jumped out in front in the first inning with a pair of runs. Daniel Vogelbach’s groundout scored the game’s first run, and a single by Cal Mitchell scored Ke’Bryan Hayes to make it 2-0.
Back-to-back bunts in the second by Tyler Heineman and Hoy Park, accompanied by throwing blunders by the Cardinals, put the Bucs up 4-0.
St. Louis battled back over the next few innings to tie the game. A solo homerun by Dylan Carlson got them on the board in the second inning, and a two run double by Brendan Donovan in the fifth cut the lead to 4-3. Tyler O’Neill’s groundout scored the tying run, knotting things up at 4-4.
Bryan Reynolds delivered the game-winning hit in the seventh inning, a two-run homerun to right field to make it 6-4, which would be the final score. It was Reynolds’ 11th homerun of the season, and it ended what has been a horrific run for the Pirates as of late.
The Bucs finally ended the losing streak on Wednesday, but the schedule won’t get any easier. After a day off on Thursday, they return to PNC Park for a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday.
Record vs. Cardinals: 2-8
Record vs. N.L. Central: 10-22
Record on the Road: 12-20
Overall Record: 25-37
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
