ST. LOUIS _ Building on contributions from a catcher who was on the opposing team a week ago and a pitcher who was in the minors two days ago, the Pirates won another road game and extended their winning streak to six games.
After beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2, at Busch Stadium on Tuesday, the Pirates are 6-1 on their road trip with two games remaining and are 9-2 in their past 11. Steven Brault pitched well in his major league debut, and Eric Fryer, claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on Sunday, went 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs.
Jameson Taillon's sudden trip to the disabled list Monday forced Brault, a 24-year-old lefty, into service. Brault reached Class AAA for the first time in 2016 and pitched to a 2.57 ERA in eight starts with Indianapolis.
Brault made six starts before a hamstring injury, suffered while running the bases in early May, kept him out of action for a month and a half. He returned in late June for a rehab start with short-season West Virginia, then made two starts with Indianapolis before his promotion.
Brault pitched around a one-out walk in the first, with help from an unassisted double play by John Jaso. Stephen Piscotty led off the bottom of the second with a fly ball to the warning track in right field. Gregory Polanco settled under it and got his glove on it, but dropped it, and Piscotty reached third. He scored on Jedd Gyorko's single.
Brault's second walk hurt him. After a two-out free pass to Aledmys Diaz in the third, Diaz stole second and scored on Matt Holliday's single.
Since throwing 88 pitches May 2, Brault had not thrown more than 77 pitches or gone more than five innings. At 82 pitches through four innings Tuesday, manager Clint Hurdle removed him. Brault allowed two runs, one earned, and four hits, striking out five. He also recorded a hit in his first major league at-bat, a single up the middle in the third.
The Pirates tied the game in the fifth and took the lead in the sixth. David Freese, Josh Harrison and Fryer each had a hit in the fifth, resulting in two runs. Andrew McCutchen singled to start the sixth, took second on a passed ball and scored on Freese's second hit of the night. Jordy Mercer doubled, and Fryer's double down the right-field line put the Pirates ahead 5-2.
