Cardinals blank Pirates, extend win streak to five

Sonny Gray pitched seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits to lead the host St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cardinals won their season-high fifth in a row and swept the three-game series against the Pirates, who lost their season-high seventh straight.

Gray (4-1) struck out eight and walked one on 89 pitches, combining with Kyle Leahy and Chris Roycroft for St. Louis' fourth shutout of the season.

Pittsburgh's Mitch Keller (1-4) delivered a solid start, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six on 94 pitches. But the Pirates once again could not give one of their starters run support and were shut out for the seventh time.

Pittsburgh has scored one run in its past 23 innings and mustered only four runs in three games against St. Louis.

Masyn Wynn hit a pair of run-scoring doubles, with his first coming in the bottom of the third when he popped up a ball just past first base and inside the right field line to score Lars Nootbar from second. Nootbar opened the scoring with an RBI single to score Victor Scott II.

Nootbar led the Cardinals with three hits and an RBI.

Wynn hit his second double in the fifth to score Scott and put St. Louis ahead 3-0. Jordan Walker also had two RBIs on a single in the eighth which scored Brendan Donovan and Luken Baker.

Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Tommy Pham each had a hit for the Pirates.

Pham was the only Pirates' runner to advance to third on a Cruz single which put runners on the corners with one out in the eighth. But Leahy struck out Bryan Reynolds and got McCutchen to ground out to end the inning.

Nolan Arenado was scratched from the Cardinals' lineup just before the game due to back spasms. Nolan Gorman started at third base and had one hit and one walk.

--Field Level Media