Braxton Ashcraft controlled the game from the first pitch. The Pirates right-hander struck out nine batters over seven innings, allowing just one run as Pittsburgh defeated St. Louis 6-2 at Busch Stadium.
Ashcraft went seven innings with nine strikeouts and two walks, scattering four hits to earn his third win of the season. His ERA stands at 2.89. The performance anchored a Pirates offense that built its lead methodically after Brandon Lowe's first-inning homer.
Lowe opened the scoring with a 342-foot shot to left field in the first inning. Ivan Herrera answered in the third with a 408-foot homer to left center, but Pittsburgh pulled ahead for good in the fourth when Jake Mangum grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Konnor Griffin. The Pirates extended their lead in the sixth as Marcell Ozuna singled home Spencer Horwitz and Griffin, then added insurance runs in the seventh on Henry Davis's homer and Bryan Reynolds's RBI groundout.
Dustin May absorbed the loss for St. Louis, allowing four runs over 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts. His ERA is 5.00. The Cardinals managed just eight hits against Pittsburgh pitching and scored their only other run in the eighth when Jordan Walker singled home Herrera.
Pittsburgh improved to 25-24 with the victory. St. Louis fell to 28-20. Reynolds is two games away from 1,000 career games played.