Gray Shines as Cardinals Blank Pirates 5-0 to Complete Sweep

The St. Louis Cardinals (19-19) blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates (12-26) in a 5-0 win Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, completing a three-game sweep and moving back to .500 for the first time since April 16. Sonny Gray delivered a dominant outing, tossing seven scoreless innings while the offense racked up 11 hits to support him.

Starting Pitchers

Sonny Gray (STL): 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB

Mitch Keller (PIT): 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 K, 3 BB

Scoring Recap 

3rd Inning

Victor Scott II drew a leadoff walk and took home from first on a single to right by Lars Nootbaar. Nootbaar took second on the throw, and Masyn Winn followed with an RBI double to left-center, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

5th Inning

Scott II singled again and came around to score on another RBI double by Winn, extending the lead to 3-0.

8th Inning

Brendan Donovan reached on an infield single and Luken Baker, pinch-hitting, ripped a double to left. With two runners in scoring position, Jordan Walker delivered a two-run single to center, making it 5-0.

9th Inning

Chris Roycroft came on to close and retired the side in order, sealing the win and the shutout.

Bullpen Contributions 

Kyle Leahy pitched a scoreless eighth despite allowing two hits, and Roycroft shut the door with a perfect 1-2-3 ninth.

Notes & Stats

The Cardinals have now won five straight, their longest streak of the season and are 15-6 at Busch Stadium, tied with the Dodgers for most home wins in MLB. However, the team still has a struggling 4-13 record away from St. Louis.

Nolan Arenado was a late scratch due to back spasms.

Nootbaar, Donovan and Contreras are all tied for the team lead in RBIs with 19.

Betting Recap

Cardinals ML (-180) bettors cashed, and the total stayed under the 7.5-run line (-112). Eric Sontag’s weekday afternoon play remains perfect. The under in the first five innings of 'weekday day getaway games', is now 5-0 this season.

On Deck

St. Louis hits the road for a nine-game trip starting Friday in Washington. Erick Fedde is slated to face Nationals lefty Mitchell Parker with first pitch scheduled for 5:45 p.m. CT.

READ MORE: Cardinals Edge Pirates 2-1, Hand Skenes Fourth Career Loss Against St. Louis