Lance Lynn keeps Pirates' bats quiet in 3-1 win for Cardinals

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lance Lynn threw six strong innings in his 100th appearance at Busch Stadium, Jordan Walker homered and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Lynn (7-4) allowed one run on four hits and struck out five. He is 9-0 over his last 21 starts at Busch, where he pitched for the Cardinals from 2011-17 before rejoining St. Louis this season. His last loss in the Cardinals' ballpark came on July 4, 2017, against Miami.

“Obviously, you don't ever want to lose at home,” Lynn said. “To have a season where you don't have a loss on your record at home is pretty cool.”

The Cardinals (76-75) are seven games out of the final NL wild card spot with 11 games remaining.

Bryan De La Cruz hit his 20th homer of the season, taking Lynn deep in the second inning. De La Cruz’s drive to the left-center bleachers traveled 431 feet and was his second for Pittsburgh after being acquired from Miami.

Ryan Fernandez pitched a scoreless seventh inning, and Matthew Liberatore retired three straight batters after surrendering a double to Nick Gonzales and a single to Bryan Reynolds to lead off the eighth.

“That didn't get away from him,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Liberatore. “That is a very tough row for a lefty there, where we put him in. For him to get those outs and get out of that inning without giving up those runs, that was awesome to see.”

Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth for his NL-leading 45th save in 49 chances.

Bailey Falter (8-8) allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. Nick Yorke got his first career hit, a single in the fifth, and finished 3 for 4 for the Pirates after making his major league debut a night earlier.

“I think any time you get your first hit, you go through your first game, there's so many emotions,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “You relax a little bit. Overall, in the first two games, there's been good at-bats. But I do think, you get your first hit and you breathe a little bit, and then we saw two really good swings after that.”

Pittsburgh lost for the fourth time in five games.

“We were a hit away at times or a pitch away at times, and we have to make that,” Shelton said. “Tonight, we had a couple opportunities late and weren't able to capitalize on it. We need to figure out a way to get that hitter or make that pitch."

Luken Baker had an RBI triple for the Cardinals in the third, and Walker put St. Louis ahead 2-1 in the fourth when he hit a 3-2 pitch from Falter into the left-field bleachers. Walker has four homers this season, all since he was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Aug. 30.

“I feel good with my swing right now,” Walker said. “It's just a matter of what I'm swinging at. I'm not chasing, and then when they do give me a good pitch to hit, just swinging at it and driving it.”

Nolan Arenado had a sacrifice fly in the eighth for St. Louis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: CF Oneil Cruz (left ankle discomfort) was held out of the starting lineup for a second straight game. He entered as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and struck out. ... RHP Kyle Nicolas was still feeling upper back soreness after departing Monday night’s game after facing just one batter, Shelton said.

UP NEXT

RHP Sonny Gray (13-9, 3.75 ERA) was set to start for the Cardinals Wednesday night in the third game of the four-game series. The Pirates had not named a starter.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

David Solomon, The Associated Press