The St. Louis Cardinals turned in a complete team performance Tuesday night, using power hitting, disciplined at-bats, and steady pitching to secure an 11–7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
St. Louis wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as Nolan Gorman launched a long home run in the second inning. The offense kept rolling in the third when Victor Scott II sent a towering shot into the Allegheny River, followed by JJ Wetherholt driving the ball into the gap to spark another run. Wetherholt also flashed his defensive ability earlier in the game with an acrobatic stop and throw that resulted in a highlight-reel out.
The Cardinals continued to build their lead in the middle innings through patience and situational execution. Walks by Iván Herrera and Wetherholt set up an RBI double from Alec Burleson, while Jordan Walker and Gorman each added sacrifice flies to stretch the advantage to 6–0.
On the mound, Kyle Leahy was sharp through five innings, keeping Pittsburgh scoreless before running into trouble in the sixth. Oneil Cruz put the Pirates on the board with a long home run, and a two-run shot shortly after trimmed the deficit. However, reliever Gordon Graceffo stepped in to stop the rally with a timely double play.
St. Louis responded immediately, continuing its aggressive approach at the plate. Walker delivered a run-scoring single as part of a three-hit, three-RBI night, while Burleson and Masyn Winn each added key hits to restore a comfortable lead. The Cardinals later piled on in the eighth, highlighted by another run-scoring double from Burleson after Wetherholt was hit by a pitch.
While the Pirates managed a few late runs against the bullpen, including a solo homer in the ninth, the Cardinals’ early dominance proved too much to overcome. Even with some late damage allowed, the relief corps did enough to close out the game.
Nearly every starter contributed offensively for St. Louis, underscoring a balanced attack. In contrast, Pittsburgh leaned on a lengthy relief outing from Hunter Barco, who absorbed multiple runs while covering several innings in a difficult assignment.
The Cardinals will look to carry that momentum into the next game of the series, with Andre Pallante expected to start weather permitting as rain could impact the scheduled first pitch at PNC Park.
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