Pirates blank Cardinals 5-0 to secure series win

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Martín Pérez pitched six scoreless innings, Rowdy Tellez homered into the Allegheny River and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat St. Louis 5-0 on Wednesday to take two of three games from the Cardinals.

Pérez (2-5) allowed four hits, three in his final two innings, and walked five with two strikeouts. The 33-year-old left-hander entered with a 5.61 ERA after allowing 11 runs in 8 1/3 innings over his last two starts.

Tellez chased Matthew Liberatore (2-3) at the start of the fourth inning by sending a fastball 447 feet into the river beyond the wall in right field, extending the Pirates’ lead to five runs.

Liberatore allowed five runs on four hits in three innings, walking three and striking out three.

The Pirates have won eight of their last 10 games. The Cardinals stranded 11 runners and slipped to 3-3 since coming out of the All-Star break.

Connor Joe capped a four-run second inning with a two-out, two-run double to left-center, a liner that center fielder Dylan Carlson failed to bring in on a dive. Joe, batting third, picked up his first RBIs since June 11.

Tellez opened the scoring with an RBI single to center. Liberatore walked Andrew McCutchen with the bases loaded to make it 2-0.

Pedro Pagés and Masyn Winn each hit a two-out single before Alec Burleson walked for St. Louis in the fifth inning. Pérez got Willson Contreras to ground to third, leaving the bases loaded.

Contreras flew out to right in the seventh, ending the inning with runners on second and third.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: All-Star OF Bryan Reynolds was scratched from the lineup with back spasms and is considered day-to-day. He leads Pittsburgh with a .288 batting average, 18 home runs and 61 RBIs. … LHP Bailey Falter (triceps) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts in three innings against Iowa.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Sonny Gray (10-6, 3.54 ERA) starts Friday, beginning a three-game home series against the Washington Nationals.

Pirates: RHP Luis Ortiz (5-2, 2.57) will take the mound in Arizona on Friday, opening a three-game series against the Diamondbacks.

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