After Mikolas retired Michael Perez on a groundout and Tucupita
Marcano on a flyout in the ninth inning, Cal Mitchell launched a
ground-rule double on a 2-2 pitch. The ball sailed just beyond the
reach of lunging center fielder Harrison Bader.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol then removed Mikolas (5-4), who had
thrown 129 pitches. Packy Naughton entered and retired Jack Suwinski
on a grounder to end the game.
Mikolas allowed an unearned run, struck out six and walked one while
falling just short of recording the first Cardinals no-hitter since
Bud Smith accomplished the feat on Sept. 3, 2001.
Paul Goldschmidt went 4-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs for the
Cardinals. Tommy Edman finished 3-for-5 with a homer and two runs,
and Brendan Donovan went 4-for-5 with a double, three runs and an
RBI.
The Cardinals, who took the opener 3-1, have won five of their past
six games. The Pirates saw their losing streak reach nine games.
Pittsburgh starting pitcher Bryse Wilson (0-4) allowed seven runs on
10 hits in five innings.
St. Louis got to Wilson immediately when Edman smacked a homer on
his first pitch of the game. After Donovan poked an opposite field
single, Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer to put the Cardinals up 3-0
just 10 pitches in.
Wilson hit Bader with a pitch leading off the second inning. Bader
raced to third on Edman's bloop single into right field and scored
on Donovan's single.
Goldschmidt followed with a towering three-run blast to center field
to put the Cardinals up 7-0.
The Pirates got on the board in the fourth inning when Bryan
Reynolds reached on left fielder Juan Yepez's two-base error and
came around to score on a pair of groundouts.
The Cardinals pushed their lead to 9-1 in the sixth inning off
reliever Anthony Banda. Donovan and Goldschmidt hit two-out singles,
and Nolan Gorman drove them both home with a pop-fly double down the
left field line.
There have been two no-hitters in the major leagues this year. Five
New York Mets pitchers combined to no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies
on April 29, and the Los Angeles Angels' Reid Detmers stymied the
Tampa Bay Rays on May 10.
--Field Level Media
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