ST. LOUIS _ Runs continue to be precious commodities for the Cardinals. After a West Coast trip where they scored seven runs in five games and, not surprisingly, went 0-5, the Cardinals came home looking to get their offense going again.
The offense didn't find itself until the eighth inning, where a four-run inning, capped by a two-run homer by Marcell Ozuna, gave the Cardinals a 6-2 win at Busch Stadium, their most runs since their most recent home game. With the Cubs losing to Cincinnati, the Cardinals are three games out in the NL Central.
Dexter Fowler, invigorated by his move to the leadoff spot, started the eighth with a double, followed by a fly out by Tommy Edman. Paul Goldschmidt hit a sharp grounder to short that Kevin Newman couldn't backhand and the single scored Fowler with the go-ahead run. Ozuna followed with a homer into the Pirates bullpen, his 22nd of the season, to make it 5-2. Paul DeJong hit a fly into the left-field corner that Jose Osuna had to make a long run to get to, but once he got there, he neglected to catch the ball, pretty much running past it as DeJong made it to third on an error. Matt Carpenter followed with a sacrifice fly to right to drive in the sixth run.
Carlos Martinez, who came in to get the last out in the eighth and stayed in to pitch the ninth, got the win, improving to 3-2.
Prior to that four-run inning, runs had come grudgingly for the Cardinals. They had a chance to blow the game open at the start, loading the bases with no one out in the first. But Ozuna grounded into a double play, which scored a run but put a serious damper on trying to get more. DeJong struck out to end the inning.
The Pirates got a run in the second and in the fourth, both on leadoff doubles by Josh Bell. In the second, he went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Osuna. In the fourth, he went to third on a bunt single by Osuna and scored on a sacrifice fly by Colin Moran. That put the Pirates up 2-1.
Tommy Edman tripled with two outs in the third but Goldschmidt couldn't get him in. The Cardinals had more success in the fourth, when Matt Carpenter doubled with two outs, went to third on a bunt single by Kolten Wong and scored on an infield single by Matt Wieters. With runners on first and second, manager Mike Shildt went for more, sending up Jose Martinez to pinch hit for starting pitcher Dakota Hudson, but he struck out to end the inning.
Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson came out after throwing just 49 pitches in four innings. He gave up six hits and two runs while walking and striking out none.
