ST. LOUIS (AP) – Lance Lynn pitched seven shutout innings, Kolten Wong homered and the St. Louis Cardinals stopped a three-game losing streak, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Monday night.
The Cardinals, who had lost six of seven, are 4-9 and still have the worst record in the NL. Pittsburgh had won three in a row before losing in a game that took only 2 hours, 14 minutes.
Lynn (1-1) allowed three hits and struck out five while walking one. He also hit two batters.
Seung-Hwan Oh worked around an RBI double by pinch hitter Gregory Polanco in the ninth to record the Cardinals’ first save of the season. The last time it took St. Louis 13 games into a season to get a save was 1980, when Mark Littell closed out the Phillies at Veterans Stadium.
Ivan Nova (1-2) gave up five hits and no walks in eight innings while striking out three. In 14 overall starts for the Pirates, Nova has four complete games and a grand total of three walks.
Wong led off the third with a home run that landed in the right field bullpen.
St. Louis added a run in the seventh when Randal Grichuk singled, stole second, took third on a throwing error by catcher Francisco Cervelli and scored on a single by Jose Martinez.
Trevor Rosenthal pitched a spotless eighth for the Cardinals. Polanco doubled with two outs in the ninth before Oh retired pinch hitter John Jaso on a grounder.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Polanco did not start for the third game due to right groin discomfort.
TRADE
Pittsburgh acquired RHP Johnny Barbato from the New York Yankees on Monday for a player to be named or cash. Barbato, 24, was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis where he will work as a reliever. He was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Wednesday.
STREAKS
The Pirates’ Josh Harrison was hit by Lynn’s pitch in the second inning and in the fourth inning. That marked four consecutive plate appearances he was hit by a pitch. … Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen singled to left in the first inning. He has hit safely in eight consecutive games.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (0-1, 2.38 ERA) will make his third start. The 24-year-old Kuhl is 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals.
Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake (1-1, 3.00 ERA) will make his third outing coming off pitching seven scoreless innings in a 6-1 win at Washington. He is 9-5 with a 3.36 ERA in 28 starts against Pittsburgh.
