Sonny Gray stars as the Cardinals beat the sliding Pirates 5-0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Sonny Gray pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the slumping Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 on Wednesday for their fifth straight victory.

Gray (4-1) struck out eight and walked one in his first win since April 14. The right-hander went 0-1 with a 5.51 ERA in his previous three starts.

The Cardinals returned to .500 at 19-19, including a 15-6 record at home. They are 4-2 against the Pirates this year after finishing a three-game sweep.

Masyn Winn hit two RBI doubles. Lars Nootbaar had three hits, and Victor Scott II scored all the way from first twice.

The Pirates (12-26) were shut out for the eighth time. They have lost seven in a row and 10 of 11 overall.

St. Louis jumped in front with two runs in the third against Mitch Keller (1-4). Scott walked and scored on Nootbaar’s hit-and-run single to right. Winn added a bloop RBI double.

Scott extended his hitting streak to a career-high eight games when he hit a leadoff single in the fifth. He scored on Winn’s one-out double.

Jordan Walker added a two-run single in the eighth.

Keller allowed seven hits in six-plus innings. He struck out six and walked three.

The Pirates finished with four hits.

Nolan Arenado was scratched from the St. Louis lineup with back spasms.

Key moment

The Pirates put runners on the corners with one out in the eighth. But Kyle Leahy struck out Bryan Reynolds and retired Andrew McCutchen on a bouncer to second.

Key stat

Oneil Cruz, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Reynolds each struck out twice for Pittsburgh.

Up next

The Pirates return home for three games against the Braves beginning on Friday. The Cardinals begin a nine-game trip at Washington on Friday night. RHP Erick Fedde (2-3, 4.78 ERA) starts the series opener against the Nationals.

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