Cardinals 4, Pirates 3
ST. LOUIS -- In a showdown of the National League's two top teams, the home team again prevailed in a close game.
Starter Carlos Martinez worked eight innings to up his record to 12-4 Tuesday night as the St. Louis Cardinals upped their Central Division lead to six games with a 4-3 verdict over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium.
Martinez scattered nine hits and gave up three runs, walking none and fanning eight in beating Pittsburgh for the second time this year. Closer Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth to notch his 34th save.
St. Louis (72-40) took a 6-5 lead in the season series against Pittsburgh (65-45). The home team owns a 9-2 advantage in the series, with seven games being decided by one run.
Jeff Locke (6-7) absorbed the loss after allowing seven hits and four runs over five innings. He walked three and whiffed three.
Pittsburgh took the early lead in the top of the first on a two-out RBI double down the right field line by shortstop Jung Ho Kang, scoring left fielder Starling Marte.
St. Louis equalized in its half of the first when right fielder Jason Heyward scored second baseman Kolten Wong on a fielder's choice. Heyward was originally called out at first to complete a 3-6-3 double play, but the clearly incorrect call was quickly reversed upon review.
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead in the third with a two-out RBI single to left that scored right fielder Gregory Polanco, who tripled off Heyward's glove at the right-center field wall to start the inning.
First baseman Pedro Alvarez made it 3-1 an inning later with a 446-foot bolt of a homer over the center field wall, his 16th of the year.
The Cardinals erased their deficit in the fifth on Heyward's run-scoring single, a sacrifice fly by catcher Yadier Molina and a two-out RBI single by left fielder Stephen Piscotty.
NOTES: Pittsburgh 3B Josh Harrison (left thumb) and SS Jordy Mercer (left knee) started rehab assignments Tuesday at Triple-A Indianapolis. Harrison has been out since July 6 and Mercer went on the 15-day DL two weeks later. ... St. Louis 3B Matt Carpenter entered Tuesday night's game with extra-base hits in six straight games, giving him 16 since the All-Star break. Only Colorado RF Carlos Gonzalez has more in the National League with 17. ... Pirates RHP Vance Worley has accepted his assignment to Indianapolis. Worley was designated for assignment July 30 after the team traded for RHP Joe Blanton.