Taillon helps Pirates to win, slowing Cardinals

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ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Jameson Taillon won his fourth straight start, Jacob Stallings
drove in three runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates slowed the Cardinals with a 4-3
victory Wednesday that stopped the Cardinals’ three-game winning streak.

St. Louis entered 34-18 under new manager Mike Shildt and with the most wins in
the NL after the All-Star break. The Cardinals’ lead for the second NL wild card
was cut to two games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Taillon (13-9) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings, leaving with a
4-1 lead after the first two Pirates reached in the eighth. Taillon has given up
19 runs over 71 innings in his last 11 starts.

Jose Martinez hit into a run-scoring forceout in the eighth against Felipe
Vazquez, who allowed Patrick Wisdom’s run-scoring single in the ninth. Vazquez
rebounded to strike out Paul DeJong and Matt Carpenter with two on to end the
game for his 22nd consecutive save and 32nd in 36 chances this year. Pittsburgh
has won six of eight.

Daniel Poncedeleon (0-2), making his fourth start for St. Louis, allowed two
runs and five hits in five innings.

Marcell Ozuna had a run-scoring single in the first for the Cardinals, but
Stallings hit a sacrifice fly in the second, Jordan Luplow had a go-ahead single
in the third and Stallings boosted the lead to 4-1 with a two-run single off
Mike Mayers in the sixth.

     TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: INF Jedd Gyorko was activated from the 10-day DL. He had been
bothered by a left groin strain. … C Yadier Molina remains out with a sore
hamstring.

     UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Chris Archer (4-7, 4.56) will face LHP Gio Gonzalez (8-11, 4.40)
in the opener of a three-game series at Milwaukee on Friday. Archer is making
his eighth start for the Pirates after he was acquired from Tampa Bay on July
31.

Cardinals LHP Austin Gomber (5-0, 2.93) is to take on LHP Clayton Kershaw (7-5,
2.32) in the start of a four-game series against the visiting Los Angeles
Dodgers on Thursday.

Game time Thursday is 7:15 with the pre-game at 6:20 on KTLO-AM.

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