Cardinals' Wacha flirts with no-hitter in win over Pirates

[June 04, 2018]  St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha lost a no-hitter in the ninth inning on Sunday while pitching his team to a 5-0 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pinch-hitter Colin Moran broke up the no-hitter when he led off the Pirates ninth by hitting a single to right on an 0-2 pitch. Wacha, up to 111 pitches, left for reliever Jordan Hicks, who preserved the shutout.

Marcell Ozuna hit a grand slam in the first for all the runs Wacha and the Cardinals needed, and they added another in the eighth.

The 26-year-old Wacha (7-1) gave up the one hit, with eight strikeouts and two walks.

Wacha was bidding to throw the Cardinals' first no-hitter since left-hander Bud Smith against the San Diego Padres on Sept. 3, 2001.

In September 2013, when he was a rookie, Wacha got within one out of a no-hitter before Ryan Zimmerman of Washington got a hit off of him.

The last Cardinals pitcher to no-hit Pittsburgh was Hall of Famer Bob Gibson in 1971.

St. Louis won three of four in the series.

The Pirates have lost 12 of 15. They went 3-7 in a stretch of 10 games against National League Central contenders, including 2-5 against St. Louis in that stretch.

Pirates rookie Nick Kingham (2-2) gave up four runs (three earned) in five innings, with five strikeouts and one walk.

Matt Carpenter led off the first with a walk, and Tommy Pham singled. Shortstop Sean Rodriguez bobbled what could have been a double-play grounder by Jose Martinez, and the error loaded the bases.

Ozuna sent Kingham's first pitch 425 feet to left for his fourth career grand slam. It was his fifth homer of the season.

Pittsburgh got its first baserunner in the fifth when Francisco Cervelli drew a one-out walk. An out later, Gregory Polanco also walked, but Rodriguez's grounder ended the inning.

After eight innings, Wacha was at 107 pitches, but he wasn't coming out with a no-hitter going.

In the St. Louis eighth, Martinez hit a one-out double and Ozuna walked. An out later, Yairo Munoz singled to bring home Martinez and make it 5-0.

--Field Level Media

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