Pirates 4, Cardinals 3
PITTSBURGH -- Jung Ho Kang drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh and finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs as the Pittsburgh Pirates earned a series victory with a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
The Cardinals dropped a series for the first time this season.
St. Louis tied the game with two outs in the second. Center fielder Peter Bourjos singled off Pirates starter Jeff Locke then scored when second baseman Kolten Wong hit his fourth home run of the year to right field.
The Pirates took the lead back in the home half of the sixth as center fielder Andrew McCutchen led off with a double and left fielder Starling Marte followed with a single. Right fielder Gregory Polanco pinch hit and flew to left, allowing McCutchen to tag up from third and score for a 3-2 Pirates lead.
Cardinals starter Tyler Lyons was pulled after McCutchen's double and allowed three runs on five hits in five-plus innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Right fielder Jason Heyward tied the game again in the seventh with a single to score third baseman Matt Reynolds, who doubled to chase Locke from the game.
Locke gave up three runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Pittsburgh regained the lead when pinch-hitter Steve Lombardozzi worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a bunt. Kang drove in his second run of the game with a single to left to score Lombardozzi for a 4-3 lead.
Right-hander Jared Hughes (1-1) earned the win for Pittsburgh, as he recorded the final out of the seventh. Right-hander Mitch Harris (1-1) yielded the go-ahead run to take the loss for St. Louis.
Right-hander Mark Melancon worked a scoreless ninth for his seventh save.
Kang gave the Pirates an early lead when he sent an 0-2 fastball from Lyons over the left-field fence in the first inning. Kang's second home run of the season put Pittsburgh up 1-0.
The Pirates added a run in the fourth as Marte reached base on an infield single, then advanced to third as Lyons' throw to first went wide and into foul ground. Shortstop Jordy Mercer hit a hard line drive that Reynolds couldn't handle for a single that scored Marte for a 2-0 Pirates lead.
NOTES: Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte started Sunday's game after he was removed in the fourth inning Saturday with dizziness. ... St. Louis LF Matt Holliday has reached base in each of his 29 games played this season, tying Enos Slaughter's 29-game mark for the third-longest such streak to begin a season. ... Each team wore pink gear for Mother's Day to raise national awareness for breast cancer.