The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Thursday to avoid a four-game series sweep by the Cardinals. Nick Gonzales had one of his two hits in the eighth inning, driving in Oneil Cruz for the game-winning run. Luis Ortiz allowed both Cardinals runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out seven. Three Pirate relievers tossed three scoreless innings, with Aroldis Chapman closing the game, earning his 10th save of the season.
The Pirates outhit the Cardinals 8-6. Catcher Yasmani Grandal hit his 8th home run of the season.
The Bucs open a three-game series in Cincinnati tonight. Mitch Keller will start for the Pirates. He is 11-10 with a 3.87 ERA this season. In six of his last 10 starts, Keller has received one run of support, or less.
Shohei Ohtani became the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season when he homered three times and stole two bases to lead Los Angeles to a playoff-clinching rout of Miami 20-4. Ohtani also became the first player with three homers and two steals in a game. He doubled twice, had a career-best six hits and set a Dodgers record with 10 RBIs. His 51 homers this season broke Shawn Green’s franchise record of 49, set in 2001.