Pirates stay hot, beat reeling Cardinals

[June 26, 2021]    Jacob Stallings and Phillip Evans drove in two runs each as the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates edged the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Friday.

The Pirates won for the fifth time in seven games, while the reeling Cardinals lost their fifth consecutive game and their seventh in eight tries.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) is congratulated by teammates after scoring during the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Pirates starting pitcher Wil Crowe (1-4) earned his first big league victory while allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out two.

Richard Rodriguez closed out the game for his 10th save.

Cardinals starting pitcher Kwang Hyun Kim allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk in 4 1/3 innings. Reliever Jake Woodford (1-1) took the loss after allowing the decisive run in the fifth inning.

The Cardinals struck first. Lars Nootbaar and Edmundo Sosa hit one-out singles, then Crowe hit Kim with a pitch as he was attempting to bunt.

Dylan Carlson grounded into a forceout to put the Cardinals up 1-0.

The Pirates tool a 4-1 lead in the third inning. Kevin Newman hit a leadoff single and Adam Frazier walked to set the table.

Ke'Bryan Hayes lined an RBI single to extend his on-base streak to 29 games. Bryan Reynolds hit a single to load the bases, and Stallings hit a run-scoring groundout.

Evans hit a two-run single on a sinking liner to right field that squirted out of the glove of the sliding Nootbaar.

The Cardinals got two runs back in their half of the inning. Nolan Arenado led off with his 250th career homer.

Yadier Molina hit a one-out double for his 2,049th career hit, which moved him past Johnny Bench for the eighth-most hits by a catcher. Molina stole third base and scored on Nootbaar's two-out single.

Carlson's solo homer in the fourth inning tied the game 4-4, but the Pirates regained the lead in the fifth.

Hayes drew a one-out walk, then Reynolds reached on a fielder's choice grounder, and Stallings hit a RBI single to put the Pirates up 5-4.

--Field Level Media

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