Pirates 2, Cardinals 1 (11, 1st)
Alex Presley delivered a walk-off single with one out in the 11th inning as host Pittsburgh edged St. Louis and moved into first place in the National League Central.
Kevin Siegrist (0-1) forced Pedro Alvarez to fly out to center to open the 11th, but the left-hander issued consecutive walks to Russell Martin and Gaby Sanchez. Presley delivered six pitches later when his comebacker ricocheted off the glove of Siegrist and past shortstop Pete Kozma into left field.
Vin Mazzaro (6-2) walked a batter in his only inning of work for the Pirates, who lead the Cardinals by 1 1/2 games after winning the nightcap 6-0 to improve to major league-best 64-42. St. Louis has lost six straight after the sweep – a stretch during which the NL’s best offense has scored a total of six runs.
Pittsburgh jumped out to an early advantage in the first as Andrew McCutchen and Alvarez hit back-to-back two-out doubles. However, St. Louis starter Lance Lynn gave up only one hit and struck out six thereafter, setting down 16 of the final 19 batters he faced before departing after six innings.
After giving up his only run on a groundout to Matt Holliday in the third, Burnett retired seven in a row until Jon Jay reached base following a wild pitch on a strikeout to open the sixth. The right-hander finished his seven-inning outing strong, posting three of his nine strikeouts against the last five hitters he faced.
GAME NOTEBOOK: St. Louis 1B Allen Craig did not start but struck out as a pinch hitter for Lynn in the seventh. He is hitless in his last 19 at-bats and has fanned 10 times over that stretch. … Fifteen of the last 19 games played by the Pirates have been decided by one or two runs. Pittsburgh’s 20 one-run wins are tied for the third-highest total in the majors. … The Cardinals acquired minor league INF Juan Herrera from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for LHP Marc Rzepczynski.