St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 5-1 at PNC Park Thursday night, ending the Pirates’ five-game winning streak. Pittsburgh nevertheless set a franchise record with its 1,444th strikeout, topping the 2019 mark by one; Brandon Lowe hit the Pirates’ only run with a solo homer.
Lowe’s 34th home run gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Cardinals scored three times in the third, including the go-ahead run on Khristian Curtis’ wild pitch, then added two runs in the fourth.
Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore allowed one run on six hits with six strikeouts, earning his first win since July 11 after losing his previous eight decisions.
