Cardinals' left-hander Matthew Liberatore limited the Pirates to six hits and one earned run over 5 2/3 innings as St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 5-1. Liberatore won for the first time since July 11, snapping an eight-game losing skid over his last 12 starts.
Matthew Liberatore won for the first time in 13 starts, and a St. Louis Cardinals offense that was largely punchless in a Tuesday loss bounced back in a big way on Wednesday night.
Alec Burleson drove in his MLB-leading 112th run, rookies JJ Wetherholt and Leo Bernal plated runs and Liberatore snapped an eight-game losing streak as the Cardinals defeated the Pirates 5-1 at PNC Park.
A night after being limited to just one hit in a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh, the Cards hammered out nine hits. Wetherholt, who grew up in nearby Mars, Pa., and going to Pirates games as a child, had three hits, a walk and a run scored. It was Wetherholt’s best game since returning from the Injured List with right wrist tendinitis.
"I don't know (why he has hit so well in Pittsburgh), but it's where I grew up and I just get really excited to play here," Wetherholt told Cardinals TV. "I get to stay with my parents and it's always great to see them. And I get to see my dog and my cat. So, I think it frees me up a little bit to take my mind off the game. Then, when I get here, it's go time."
Also of note, Ivan Herrera was hit by a pitch in the left elbow in the seventh inning to tie a 116-year record. Herrera was hit for an MLB-most 31st time, tying the previous Cardinals record set by Steve Evans in 1910.
Liberatore limited the Pirates to six hits and one earned run over 5 2/3 innings, while striking out six and walking none. Liberatore (6-14) won for the first time since beating the Braves on July 11. Over that time, he had gone 0-8 with four no decisions.
"He needed that and we needed that," manager Oliver Marmol said to Cardinals TV after the game. "For him to go out and do what he did today, it was important."
The lone blemish for Liberatore was a 434-foot homer by Brandon Lowe in the second inning. Lowe hit a center-cut fastball over the seats in right field for his 34th homer of the season.
The Cardinals took the lead in the third inning with three runs in the inning and two more in the fourth. After Wetherholt led off the third with a walk and Herrera walked, Burleson drilled a line drive into right-center for another RBI. Burleson pushed his RBI total to 112 – two more than Baltimore’s Pete Alonso and Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart.
After Herrera scored on a wild pitch, Bernal came through again to drive in Burleson from second base. It was the rookie’s 18th RBI in 19 games this season.
The Cardinals added onto the lead in the fourth inning when Masyn Winn doubled in Jose Fermin, who was running on the pitch and scored from first base. Wetherholt followed with another hit to drive in Winn and push the Cardinals lead to 5-1.
Luis Gastelum, Ryan Stanek and George Soriano pitched 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to help Liberatore break his long losing streak.
"Really, it was just about (Liberatore) dominating the whole game," Wetherholt said of his teammate. "Libby this year, he's been so good, but there would be one inning that would get him, and that's been terrible to see because it was ruin good starts. Today was completely different because from his first pitch to his last, he was dominating. It was a really good job by him, and it was great to see."
