Cardinals outlast Pirates in extra innings, secure series win

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KMIZ)

A strong collective pitching effort and a pair of RBI hits in the 10th inning lifted the Cardinals to a 3-2 win in the rubber match of their three-game series with the Pirates. St. Louis has now won five of its last seven series and only has 10 games left before the All-Star break.

Dylan Carlson's RBI double in the second inning gave the Redbirds an early 1-0 lead but that was the only run St. Louis was able to drive home in the first nine frames of action. Despite posting eight hits during that stretch, none of them were with runners in scoring position.

Pittsburgh tied the game with a home run from Bryan Reynolds in the fourth inning, but the St. Louis pitching staff kept the Pirates quiet for the rest of the afternoon. Andre Pallante got the start on the mound for the Cardinals and pitched seven innings, allowing just that one run on only four hits while striking out five batters. Andrew Kittredge and John King tossed three combined innings out of the bullpen and neither pitcher surrendered an earned run in the contest. Kittredge also tallied three strikeouts.

The Cardinals' pitching staff paved the way for the Redbird offense to retake the lead in extra innings. Pedro Pages and Alec Burleson delivered an RBI double and single respectively, the team's first hits with runners in scoring position in the game, to gain a 3-1 advantage that proved to be just enough to clinch the series win.

Overall, St. Louis collectively posted 10 hits. Burleson and Carlson both recorded multi-hit games and six other Cardinals added one hit each.

Up next - The Cardinals' current seven-game road trip ends in the nation's capital with four dates against the Nationals. The first pitch for game one of the series is scheduled for Friday, July 5 at 5:45 p.m.