Central STL News

Strong pitching performances from Miles Mikolas and Kyle Leahy helped the St. Louis Cardinals secure a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, splitting a four-game series at Busch Stadium.

The game remained tied at 1-1 until the seventh inning, when Thomas Saggese hit a run-scoring double off Yohan Ramirez to drive in Masyn Winn from first base. Jordan Walker followed with a two-run home run, his fifth of the season and first since August 8 against the Cubs. The home run was measured at 404 feet.

This victory ended a difficult stretch for the Cardinals, who had lost seven of their previous eight games at Busch Stadium. The team had recently been swept by the Yankees and dropped two of three to the Rockies before facing similar struggles against the Pirates.

The win also prevented St. Louis from losing eight out of nine home games for the first time since April and May of 1996. The Cardinals improved their season record against Pittsburgh to 7-6.

Mikolas recovered after giving up a solo home run to Tommy Pham in the first inning, allowing just four hits and one run over five innings while striking out five batters. "Saggese, who has worked in recent weeks to become more selective at the plate, drilled a Yohan Ramirez 94.9 mph fastball off the base of the wall in right-center to score the speedy Masyn Winn from first base to give the Cardinals the lead," according to team sources.

Leahy pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out four and earning his fourth win this year.

Walker contributed significantly on offense: "Then, Walker hit the first pitch he saw -- an 84.4 mph sweeper -- for a Statcast-projected 404-foot home run. It was Walker’s fifth home run of the season and his first since Aug. 8 against the Cubs."

The Cardinals' efforts on Thursday ensured they did not match an unfavorable home record set nearly three decades ago.