Pirates Blank Cardinals to Complete Series Sweep, Extend Win Streak to Six
PITTSBURGH — Mitch Keller delivered seven strong innings, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa broke things open with a two-run single in a four-run eighth as the Pittsburgh Pirates completed a dominant three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-0 win on Wednesday.
The shutout marked the third straight for Pittsburgh, which extended its scoreless streak on the mound to an impressive 31 innings. With the win, the Pirates notched their sixth consecutive victory — their longest winning streak of the season — and wrapped up a perfect 6-0 homestand during which they outscored the Mets and Cardinals by a combined 43-4.
Keller (3-10) has now won two straight starts after a 15-game winless stretch. The right-hander allowed five hits, struck out seven, and walked just one. Dennis Santana and Isaac Mattson each tossed a scoreless inning in relief to complete the six-hit shutout.
Pittsburgh, still at the bottom of the NL Central, hasn’t thrown three consecutive shutouts since 2015. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were shut out in three straight games for the first time since 2022.
The scoring began in the first inning when Tommy Pham knocked in a run off Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (8-3), who had been dominant in his previous outing. Gray held the Pirates hitless for several innings and retired 14 straight batters before Nick Gonzales drew a walk to lead off the eighth. That opened the floodgates: Pham added another RBI single, followed by Kiner-Falefa’s clutch two-run knock and an RBI single from Spencer Horwitz.
Key Stat:The Cardinals have now gone a franchise-record 49 consecutive innings without scoring a run against a fellow NL Central team.
Key Moment:St. Louis had a chance to strike early but left the bases loaded in the first inning when Thomas Saggese grounded out — a missed opportunity that set the tone for the night.
Up Next:
- Cardinals: Head to Chicago to face the Cubs on Friday with Miles Mikolas (4-5, 5.76 ERA) set to start.
- Pirates: Open a weekend series on the road against the Seattle Mariners.