Tuesday 23rd April 2024

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Erik Gonzalez and Adam Frazier singled in runs, rookie Cody Ponce earned his first big-league victory and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 Thursday night for a doubleheader sweep.

Cole Tucker drove in the go-ahead run in extra innings in the Pirates’ 4-3 win in the opener.

Ponce (1-1) was used as a reliever in his first two appearances this season and made his first major league start. He went 5-2/3 innings, holding the Cardinals scoreless and scattering five hits.

Rookie Nick Turley pitched the seventh to record his first save in the majors.

St. Louis rookie Johan Ovideo (0-1) took the loss. He pitched five innings, allowing four hits and two runs. Kwang Hyun Kim pitched six innings in the opener, allowing three hits and an unearned run.

Pittsburgh scored both runs in the third of the nightcap. Gonzalez and Frazier hit back-to-back singles, scoring J.T. Riddle and John Ryan Murphy.

The seven-inning first game went to extras tied at one, and Tucker scored automatic runner Jarrod Dyson with a single off John Gant (0-2) in the eighth. Pittsburgh added two more runs with two outs on an RBI single by Bryan Reynolds and an error by third baseman Brad Miller of a ball hit by catcher Jacob Stalling.

St. Louis scored on a sacrifice fly by Kolten Wong and single by Paul Goldschmidt that bounced off Rodriguez. But Richard Rodriguez struck out the final two batters, both left-handers, to nail down the win.

UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (0-2, 5.25) will start against the visiting Indians. allowed two runs on three hits with four walks in 4-2/3 innings against the Reds last Sunday. He fell one out shy of recording his first win in a starting role. … Cleveland will use RHP Triston McKenzie (1-0, 1.50), who turned in one of the best Major League debuts in team history last Saturday against the Tigers, fanning 10 in six innings and allowing just two hits.