7 Straight: Less Hitting, More Losing as Pirates Misery Continues

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost their seventh game in a row on Wednesday, May 7, falling 5-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals to cap a three game sweep.

The loss marks the tenth in the past 11 games for Pittsburgh (12-26), and their seventh loss via shutout this season, the most in Major League Baseball. They’re the only team in MLB without a win in the month of May.

Right-handed starter Mitch Keller tossed a quality start, allowing three runs in six innings and fanning six Cardinals batters. The Pirates couldn’t muster any offense in support, however, logging just four hits, all singles. Cardinals’ starter Sonny Gray sent seven innings on an efficient 89 pitches, fanning eight batters and allowing just two hits.

Pittsburgh put two aboard with one out in the fourth and eighth innings, including runners at the corners on the latter occasion, but ended up stranding six runners on base.

The Cardinals, for their part, got to Keller in the third inning. Speedster Victor Scott II, a WVU Baseball product, drew a six pitch walk, then scored from first on a Lars Nootbaar single. Masyn Winn doubled on a lazy pop fly that landed in no man’s land between first base and right field to make it 2-0.

Scott singled and Winn doubled in the fifth to plate another run, then Jordan Walker notched a two-run single off Caleb Ferguson in the eighth, giving St. Louis some insurance after the Pirates’ attempted rally in the top of the frame.

The Pirates will return home to host a three game series with the Atlanta Braves, set to begin at 6:40 p.m. on Friday, May 9 with Bailey Falter on the mound.