The St. Louis Cardinals jumped on top of the Pittsburgh Pirates early in the first inning, plating four runs to take a 4-0 lead thanks to a three-run home run by Carlos Beltran. Beltran himself outscored the Pirates on the night, finishing up going four for five with two home runs and seven RBI.
The Pirates just couldn't come back from the early damage the Cardinals lineup did while A.J. Burnett was laboring on the mound early in the game. By the end of the third inning, the Cardinals had taken a 12-1 lead off of Beltran's second home run of the game. The Pirates plated a couple of runs late, but it wasn't close to enough as the Pirates go down 12-3.
The Pirates drop two in a row against the Cards and will try to avoid the sweep on Thursday.
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