Leahy pitches into 6th, Cards' entire lineup contributes to beat Bucs

PITTSBURGH -- After striking out a season-high seven batters through five scoreless innings in St. Louis' 11-7 win on Tuesday night at PNC Park, Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy looked ready for a test that he hadn’t yet faced across his first five starts of the season.

The sixth inning.

Though Leahy's stuff was arguably as sharp as it's been all season, it didn’t spare the converted reliever from falling victim to a familiar wall.

Leahy recorded an out in the sixth inning for his first time as a big league starter, but it’s the only one he got in the frame before handing the ball off to Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol to end his night.

If the pair of sixth-inning home runs by the Pirates put a damper on Leahy’s evening, the Cardinal bats endeavored to lift his spirits. The Cardinals piled up crooked numbers in four innings in their win over the Pirates, the relentless identity of the lineup picking up right where it left off in Monday’s four-run ninth inning.

Nolan Gorman hit his fourth home run of the season, while Victor Scott II slugged his first of the year, becoming the 53rd player throughout the history of PNC Park to see his home run ball find its way into the Allegheny River.

The Cardinals racked up five hits in a whopping 16 at-bats with runners in scoring position in the win. Gorman, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker each produced three RBIs, contributing to a key top of the seventh inning that saw the Cardinals immediately wrestle back the three runs that Pittsburgh had tallied against Leahy in the sixth.

The win marked St. Louis’ 23rd 10-run game at PNC Park -- the most of any opponent there.