Perfect Game Bid Ends With Loss; Cardinals Rally in 9th to Sink Pirates

Top 9th, 2-2: Dennis Santana (2-2) blew the save for the Pirates as the Pedro Pagés and Pittsburgh-native JJ Wetherholt hit back-to-back solo home runs with one out. José Fermín, who did not enter the game until the eighth inning, put the Cardinals (15-13) ahead with a two-run double.

Key Moments

Evan Sisk retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh but Alec Burleson legged out a dribbler towards third base against a shifted infield for the first baserunner of the game for the Cardinals. Mason Montgomery, Justin Lawrence and Wilber Dotel were the other pitchers responsible for carrying a perfect game into the seventh.

Dennis Santana had not allowed a home run this season before the Cardinals’ back-to-back jacks. This was only the seventh time in 123 appearances with the Pirates he’s allowed multiple runs.

Player of the Game

In only his third appearance in the big leagues, Wilber Dotel efficiently retired all 12 batters he faced on 44 pitches and struck out a career-high three batters.

Stat to Know

Pedro Pagés’ solo home run in the ninth snapped a stretch of 36 straight shutout innings for the Pirates against the Cardinals at PNC Park. Pittsburgh blanked St. Louis each of the last three times in this ballpark.

Notable Performances

• Wilber Dotel: 4.0 innings, no hits, no runs, no walks, three strikeouts, 44 pitches/32 strikes
• Dennis Santana: 0.2 innings, four hits, four runs, two walks, no strikeouts, 27 pitches/15 strikes
• Nick Gonzales: 3 for 4, one double, one run
• Jake Mangum: 2 for 3, one RBI

Noteworthy

• Pirates pitchers have recorded at least six strikeouts in 66 straight games. That’s tied with the New York Yankees (August 22, 2017-April 29, 2018) for the fourth-longest streak in the Modern Era (since 1901).
• Nick Gonzales extended his hitting streak to eight games. He’s batting .484 (15 for 31) during his streak.
• Oneil Cruz was scratched from the starting lineup with an illness. Spencer Horwitz moved up to the leadoff spot in the batting order and Jake Mangum took over in center field.

Up Next

The Pirates haven’t officially named a starter for Tuesday’s game but the expectation is RHP Braxton Ashcraft (1-1, 2.43 ERA) will come off the bereavement list and take the mound. RHP Kyle Leahy (2-3, 5.63 ERA) will start for the Cardinals. First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh/93.7 The Fan.

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