ST. LOUIS — It was a good night to be Nolan.
Nolan Gorman had three hits and drove in two runs while Nolan Arenado also had three hits and scored twice as the Cardinals defeated the Pirates on Friday night at Busch Stadium.
Combined, the duo had five of the Cardinals’ six hits against former teammate Johan Oviedo, who struck out 10 over his seven innings of work.
Four pitchers, led by starter Jake Woodford, combined for the Cardinals’ second shutout of the season.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The game was scoreless into the sixth inning, when Arenado singled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Gorman … The Cardinals added their two insurance runs in the ninth. Alec Burleson led off with a single, followed by a one-out walk to Arenado before Willson Contreras broke an 0-of-22 streak with an RBI single. Gorman then drove in his second run with another single … The Cardinals’ only other hit off Oviedo was a two-out double by Brendan Donovan in the fifth … The Cardinals were just 3-of-12 with runners in scoring position, with Gorman collecting two of those hits.
On the mound: Woodford allowed seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He was helped out by Burleson throwing out a runner at the plate in the fourth. He struck out three and walked one … Zack Thompson pitched around a walk and a single, striking out four in his 1 2/3 innings … Drew VerHagen worked a perfect eighth before Giovanny Gallegos retired the Pirates in order in the ninth.
Key stat: Arenado (13) and Gorman (12) have combined for 25 of the team’s 58 RBIs so far this season, or 43 percent of the team’s total. Jordan Walker has the third highest total with eight.
Worth noting: Walker was out of the starting lineup one night after his 12-game hitting streak came to an end. He pinch-ran for Burleson in the eighth and played right field in the ninth inning … The last Pirate starter to strike out 10 or more batters in a game at Busch Stadium and lose was John Candelaria on April 13, 1984 … Adam Wainwright threw a simulated game on Friday and will begin a rehab assignment in the minors early next week, projected to be Tuesday in Springfield. It has not been determined how many starts he will make before he is activated from the injured list … One of the hitters he faced was Lars Nootbaar, who likely will be activated from the injured list either Saturday or Sunday.
Looking ahead: Steven Matz will get the start in the 1:15 p.m. game on Saturday.