ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright became a 20-game winner Sunday—against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Winning his seventh start in succession against the Pirates, something never done before by a Cardinals pitcher, Wainwright raised his career mark to 20-7 against the Pirates with a 3-0 victory on a steamy afternoon at Busch Stadium as 34,431 paid subscribers partook. Turning 40 a week from now, Wainwright hasn’t lost to the Pirates at Busch since June 29, 2012 and has beaten the Pirates more than any other club, with Milwaukee next at 18.
Moreover, Wainwright’s 12th victory of the season marked the fifth time he had snapped a team losing streak of two or more games, with two of those streaks five or more games.
Nearly two weeks ago in Pittsburgh, Wainwright tossed a spectacular two-hit shutout at Pittsburgh. The Pirates had only two hits again off Wainwright on Sunday, one a bunt single, in eight innings, as Wainwright fanned nine and walked no one.
Yadier Molina, a .329 hitter with men in scoring position, rolled a two-out single between third and short to drive in the game’s first run in the first. Paul Goldschmidt doubled past third with one out to extend his hitting streak to 11 games and new No. 3 hitter Tyler O’Neill walked.
Cleanup man Nolan Arenado lined to deep left before Molina singled past the dive of third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Goldschmidt homered for the second Cardinals run in the fifth, connecting for his 19th off Kyle Keller on a 414-foot drive into Big Mac Land. Harrison Bader snapped a nothing-for-14 skid with a run-scoring single in the eighth, scoring Molina, who had singled for the second time.
Alex Reyes pitched around a pair of two-out singles in the ninth as he recorded his 28th save, with a big assist from right fielder Lars Nootbaar, who made a leaping catch at the wall on Colin Moran's drive to end the game.
Wainwright, pitching to Molina for the 298th time as a starting battery, allowed just a second-inning bunt single by Gregory Polanco and a fifth-inning double by Kevin Newman.
Wainwright, who had just one hit in his first 37 at-bats this season, doubled past third in the second inning for his third hit in his most recent five at-bats but he was stranded. The next time he hit in the fourth, the Cardinals had runners at first and third with one out but Wainwright was unable to place his squeeze bunt where he wanted to and pitcher Steven Brault made a diving grab and throw home to cut off Edmundo Sosa, who was trying to score.
Wainwright is the major league leader in sacrifice bunts at 12.
The Cardinals ensured the season series victory over the Pirates for the eighth successive year and 19th season in the past 22. They are 10-5 against Pittsburgh with four games remaining.
