Andre Pallante controlled the game from the mound, and St. Louis held off a late Pittsburgh rally to defeat the Pirates 5-4 at PNC Park.
Pallante earned the victory with six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits while striking out six without issuing a walk. The right-hander carried a 4.02 ERA into the contest and improved to 3-2 on the season with his efficient 91-pitch performance.
The Cardinals built their lead through power and timely hitting. Alec Burleson's two-run homer to left center in the fifth inning gave St. Louis a 3-0 advantage after Wetherholt had doubled home Urías in the third. The Cardinals extended their margin to 5-1 in the seventh when Scott II scored on Herrera's infield single and Herrera came home on Walker's single to left.
Pittsburgh mounted a comeback attempt against the St. Louis bullpen. Spencer Horwitz answered Burleson's blast with a solo homer to center in the fifth, and the Pirates scored twice in the seventh when Yorke singled home both Bart and Griffin. Cruz's fielder's choice in the eighth brought home Gonzales to cut the deficit to one run, but Riley O'Brien closed out the ninth for his eighth save.
The victory extended St. Louis' winning streak to two games and improved their record to 16-13. Pittsburgh's losing streak reached three games as they fell to 16-14. Pallante is 26 innings away from 500 career innings pitched.