St. Louis Cardinals tops Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7
Game Summary
St. Louis Cardinals topped Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7. A comfortable 4-run margin reflected St. Louis Cardinals's steady command of the game.
The turning point came in the top of the 5th. St. Louis Cardinals pushed across 3 runs to seize control of the game.
A full-blown slugfest: 18 combined runs and 25 hits on the day.
Key Players
Nolan Gorman led St. Louis Cardinals's offense, going 1-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI. St. Louis Cardinals reliever Gordon Graceffo threw 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 K and picked up a hold.
Ryan O'Hearn led Pittsburgh Pirates's offense, going 2-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI. Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Hunter Barco threw 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 3 K and anchored the pitching staff.
Pitching Report
St. Louis Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 7 K, 0 BB (82 pitches). 2 HR allowed is a troubling rate of long-ball damage. Bullpen: 3.7 IP, 3 ER, 4 K (ERA 7.36).
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 7 K, 3 BB (87 pitches). Failed to complete five innings, leaving extra burden on the bullpen. 2 HR allowed is a troubling rate of long-ball damage. Bullpen ERA 9.64 (4.7 IP, 5 ER). Relief failures directly impacted the outcome.
Hitting Analysis
St. Louis Cardinals: 12 H, 11 RBI (team AVG 0.324). 6 extra-base hits (2 HR) — impressive power display. Drew 5 walks, boosting on-base production.
Multi-hit games: Alec Burleson (2-for-4, 3 RBI), Jordan Walker (2-for-4, 3 RBI), Masyn Winn (2-for-5).
Pittsburgh Pirates: 12 H, 7 RBI (team AVG 0.400). 3 extra-base hits (3 HR) — impressive power display.
Multi-hit games: Oneil Cruz (2-for-5, 1 HR), Bryan Reynolds (2-for-3), Ryan O'Hearn (2-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI), Nick Gonzales (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Konnor Griffin (2-for-4, 1 HR).