PITTSBURGH — Saturday’s Game Report: Pirates 4, Cardinals 3
Jordan Montgomery’s bad luck continued on Saturday – and so did his and the Cardinals’ losing streaks.
A fielding error by Nolan Arenado and a walk opened the door to a three-run sixth inning that carried the Pirates to the win over the Cardinals in Pittsburgh.
Montgomery fell to 0-7 in his last 10 starts, all of which the Cardinals have lost. Montgomery’s last win came on April 8 in his second start of the season.
Montgomery, whose start was interrupted by a one-hour rain delay after the second inning, had allowed only three hits through the first five innings, one of which was a solo homer by Ke’Bryan Hayes.
But after the two Pirates reached base in the sixth, he allowed a two-run double to Connor Joe that put the Pirates in front 3-1.
Here is how Saturday’s game broke down:
At the plate: A home run by Willson Contreras leading off the second had given Montgomery and the Cardinals a 1-0 lead … They had only two more hits until the eighth, when Paul Goldschmidt singled and Nolan Gorman launched his 14th homer of the year to pull the Cardinals within 4-3 … They had one last scoring chance when Jordan Walker singled with one out in the ninth, but Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan flew out to end the game.
On the mound: Montgomery was relieved by Jordan Hicks, and he gave up singles to the first two hitters he faced to produce the Pirates’ third run of the inning before getting an inning-ending strike out … Only one of the four runs charged to Montgomery was earned because of the Arenado error. It’s the first time in his career that Montgomery has gone 10 consecutive starts without his team getting a win … Steven Matz allowed two hits, including a leadoff double in the eighth, before Chris Stratton relieved and struck out the next three batters.
Key stat: Gorman’s 14th homer allowed him to tie his season total from 2022, which he hit in 283 at-bats. He hit his 14th this year in his 181st at-bat. He has driven in 44 runs, nine more than his total from last season.
Worth noting: Luken Baker was not in the lineup for Triple A Memphis on Saturday night, leading to speculation he could be headed to Pittsburgh to join the Cardinals on Sunday. Baker was leading the International League with 18 homers and 53 RBIs in 54 games … Catcher Tres Barrera, who has been used only sparingly over the last month as a third catcher, is expected to be designated for assignment … Contreras only had two hits in his previous 40 at-bats before his home run.
Looking ahead: Miles Mikolas will get the start on Sunday as the Cardinals attempt to avoid being swept in the series. The game will be broadcast on the Peacock Network, beginning at 10:35 a.m. St. Louis time. Albert Pujols will be one of the analysts on the broadcast.
