Henry Davis Hits First Home Run This Season But Pirates Fall to Cardinals

The 2024 season has proved to be a struggle for Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis but perhaps one swing will help him get back on track.

Davis hit his first home run of the season for the Pirates (32-35) in their 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.

Davis connected on a solo shot to left-center in the top of the eighth inning to bring the Pirates within two. It was the first home run for Davis since last year on Sept. 26 against the Phillies.

Henry Davis – Pittsburgh Pirates (1)
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— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) June 13, 2024

The swing snapped a personal 0-for-11 skid for Davis and broke a stretch of 23-straight at-bats without a hit from Pirates’ catchers.

For the second-straight start, Bailey Falter only went four innings. The left-hander allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk. He struck out five batters.

The Cardinals (32-34) struck first when left fielder Bryan Reynolds made an ill-advised diving attempt on what resulted in an RBI double for Nolan Arenado with two outs in the third. 

St. Louis scored twice more in the fourth, once on a Dylan Carlson single and another on Masyn Winn’s fielder’s choice. Nick Gonzales prevented further damage by making a diving stop and turning a 4-6-3 double play. 

The Cardinals collected three hits against Carmen Mlodzinski in the fifth inning with Brendan Donovan driving in Iván Herrera on a base hit. Mlodzinski rebounded with a scoreless sixth inning.

Right-hander Kyle Nicolas tossed two perfect innings of relief and struck out five batters

While the Cardinals bats broke into a hit parade against Falter (3-4), the Pirates could not manage much of anything against Sonny Gray.

Gray (8-4) held the Pirates to one run in seven innings pitched, which tied a season-high. The right-hander allowed four hits, walked one and struck out nine batters. 

Michael A. Taylor got the Pirates on the board with a single up the middle in the fifth. Scoring on the play was Nick Gonzales, who doubled to begin the inning.

Reynolds extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double to right field in the top of the first. Oneil Cruz finished 2 for 4. 

Up Next

Mitch Keller (8-3, 3.16 ERA) will be on the mound as the Pirates go for the series win on Thursday afternoon. Lance Lynn (2-3, 3.58 ERA) will start for the Cardinals. First pitch: 2:15 ET.