The St. Louis Cardinals hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium today in the second game of a three-game weekend series. After losing a close 4-3 game yesterday, the Cardinals were looking to even the series at one game apiece. Here are the top highlights and performances from today’s back-and-forth 9-7 Cardinals victory:

The Cardinals offense got off to a hot start, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Dylan Carlson began the game with a double off the left field wall. After Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk, Nolan Arenado delivered a two-run double down the right field line to put St. Louis up early. Arenado would then score on a Tyler O’Neill single to make it 3-0 Cardinals.

Pittsburgh got one run back in the top of the second when Bryan Reynolds hit his 11th home run of the season to cut the St. Louis lead to 3-1. The Cardinals responded with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning to regain their four-run advantage. Goldschmidt led off with a single and Arenado followed with a walk. After a double steal, O’Neill brought both runners home with a double to left-center field to make it 5-1 St. Louis.

Pirates starter Mitch Keller was pulled after just 1 2/3 innings having allowed five runs on five hits and three walks. Keller has struggled mightily this season, now carrying an ERA above 8.00 in nine starts. Reliever Duane Underwood Jr. was able to settle things down over the next 2 1/3 innings, limiting the damage.

In the top of the fifth, the Pirates offense woke up with a four-run inning to climb back into the game. Back-to-back singles by Michael Chavis and Greg Allen started the rally. An RBI single by rookie Oneil Cruz plated Chavis to cut the deficit to 5-2. Kevin Newman then delivered a two-run double into the left field corner to make it a 5-4 ballgame. Newman would later score on a sac fly by Josh VanMeter to pull Pittsburgh within one at 5-4.

St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright had cruised through the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth. After the four-run outburst, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol came out to settle his veteran righty down. Wainwright was able to get out of the inning with no further damage, leaving having allowed four runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings of work.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Cardinals retook control with a big inning of their own. Goldschmidt led off with a towering solo home run to left field, his ninth of the year, to push the St. Louis lead back to 6-4. Two batters later, Arenado crushed a pitch from reliever Yerry De Los Santos over the fence in right-center for a two-run shot, his eighth homer, to make it 8-4 Cardinals.

The Cardinals bullpen took over from there, with Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley combining for 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Gallegos worked around a two-out single in the eighth to keep Pittsburgh off the board. Helsley tossed a perfect ninth, striking out two, to pick up his third save on the year.

While the bullpen shut Pittsburgh down over the final four innings, the Pirates did make things interesting late. In the top of the ninth, a one-out RBI double by Allen and run-scoring single by Cruz off Helsley brought the tying run to the plate. However, Helsley was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play from Ben Gamel to end the game, preserving the 9-7 Cardinals victory.

Offensively, Goldschmidt, Arenado and O’Neill led the way for St. Louis. Goldschmidt finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, including his ninth home run. Arenado went 2-for-4 with four RBI and his eighth homer of 2022. O’Neill chipped in three hits and drove in two critical runs.

With the win, the Cardinals improved to 25-21 on the season and moved within 1.5 games of first place Milwaukee in the NL Central. St. Louis will look to take the rubber match of the series tomorrow afternoon at 1:15 pm against the Pirates and ace Jose Quintana.

This back-and-forth slugfest was an exciting one for Cardinals fans. Timely hitting, key homers by the stars, and another strong late-inning performance by the bullpen led St. Louis to an important victory. The Cardinals will aim to carry this momentum into the series finale tomorrow.