Soaring scoring expectations for Penguins' Jake Guentzel

By Jonathan Bombulie

http://triblive.com/sports/

September 28, 2017

(Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review)

Jake Guentzel is on the verge of winning a scoring championship for which no trophy, cup or memento is awarded.

Not even a certificate suitable for framing.

With nine points in three exhibition games, Guentzel is in position to claim the NHL's preseason scoring title.

His sense of pride in the potential accomplishment, needless to say, is mild. He said he's perfectly fine with the fact that no trophy is coming his way soon.

“It's preseason, so you can't really think too much into it,” Guentzel said. “I think you're just getting ready for the season, and everything goes from there.”

Still, there is something to be gleaned from Guentzel's position in the preseason scoring race.

For one thing, just look at the company he's keeping. The player in second place in exhibition scoring this season is reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid with eight points. Over the last four years, the preseason scoring title has been won or shared by players such as Ryan Johansen, Tyler Toffoli, Pavel Datsyuk, Joe Pavelski and Jordan Eberle.

These aren't slouches.

“Hopefully it just carries over to the season,” Guentzel said.

Also, it's another piece of evidence that Guentzel is about to become the first homegrown All-Star to come through the Penguins system since Kris Letang a decade ago.

There was the two-goal game in his NHL debut last November followed by scads of regular-season success playing on a line with Sidney Crosby.

Then came his 13 playoff goals, making him the first rookie since the NHL took possession of the Stanley Cup in 1926 to lead the league in postseason goal scoring outright. Only five rookies have hit double digits in playoff goals — Guentzel, Dino Ciccarelli, Brad Marchand, Jeremy Roenick and Claude Lemieux — and they all went on to become elite scorers, if not bona fide stars.

Add those factors to his gaudy preseason numbers, and expectations for Guentzel are shooting through the roof. ESPN.com's fantasy hockey division is projecting 30 goals for him this season. On Thursday, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan did nothing to tamp down that kind of talk.

“I think Jake has built a body of work. It's hard to not have high expectations,” Sullivan said. “He's a really good hockey player and shows no signs of slowing down. He has great hockey sense. He's a competitive kid. He thinks the game on a high level. He has a quiet confidence about him that I think really helps him as a young pro.

“Internally, we have high expectations for him because we think he's a really good player. “

If Guentzel were forced to project his own point totals for the season, he would probably include more assists than goals. Since arriving in the NHL, he steadfastly has proclaimed himself more of a passer than a shooter. He did, after all, have 79 assists in 108 college games at Nebraska-Omaha.

“It's hard to say that when he scores every game,” linemate Conor Sheary quipped.

Whether he sees it himself or not, Guentzel's future looks to be as a finisher.

Last season, counting regular season and playoffs, AHL and NHL, he scored 50 goals in 98 games. He also developed a special chemistry with Crosby, who has been known to set up teammates for a goal or two in his day.

“I think maybe he doesn't give himself enough credit,” Sheary said. “He's got a good, quick shot, a hard shot. To his credit, he can find guys, too. He's definitely a passer when it comes to that. I think he's a playmaker at heart, but he can definitely score goals.”

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.comor via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.

MORE PENGUINS/NHL

Penguins 'hopeful' Patric Hornqvist can play in opener

Stars come out as Penguins drop Sabres

Penguins' White House visit not a 'stance' on protests, coach Mike Sullivan says

Penguins, Sidney Crosby's White House visit 'act of moral cowardice,' Nova Scotia activist says

Three candidates to fill two vacancies at center for Penguins

Bell's homer sends Pirates to sweep of Orioles

By Alan Saunders, The Associated Press
http://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/
September 27, 2017




Pittsburgh Pirates' Josh Bell (55) celebrates with David Freese (23) after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017 in Pittsburgh (Keith Srakocic/AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — With four games remaining in their season, the Pittsburgh Pirates will likely finish next-to-last in the majors in home runs.

But rookie first baseman Josh Bell is a sign for hope in the future. Bell hit a two-run shot as the Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 on Wednesday night to sweep a two-game interleague series.

Bell's home run, his 25th of the season, came in the third inning off Baltimore starter Gabriel Ynoa and put the Pirates ahead 4-3. Bell also hit an RBI single in the first.

He's the first Pirates rookie to hit 25 homers since Jason Bay set a franchise record with 26 in 2004.

"I feel like I'm in a good spot," Bell said. "I'm happy with what I'm bringing to the table."

Bell's homer outburst as a rookie is made more impressive by the fact the most he ever hit in a minor-league season was 14 in 2016.

"He's in uncharted territory," manager Clint Hurdle said. "He's never played this many games. He's at 155. That's a lot. He's toeing up, posting up and it looks like a strong finish for him."

Ynoa (2-3) lasted just three innings and gave up four runs on five hits. He struck out three.

"I was trying to attack the hitters, but things didn't work out for me," Ynoa said through an interpreter. "Unfortunately, I was missing with my fastball, and the hitters took advantage of that."

Gregory Polanco homered to lead off the second, his 11th this season and first since August 4.

Starling Marte singled and stole second in the fifth inning, giving him 20 steals for the fifth consecutive year, despite an 80-game suspension for violating baseball's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Chad Kuhl (8-11) went five-plus innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. He had five strikeouts, including two against Manny Machado.

All the damage against Kuhl came in the second. Chance Cisco and Anthony Santander hit RBI doubles, sandwiching J.J. Hardy's run-scoring groundout.


Baltimore Orioles' Pedro Alvarez tips his helmet to the cheering crowd during a video tribute to him from his days as a Pirate, during his first at-bat in Wednesday's game (Keith Srakocic/AP)

Pedro Alvarez started the rally with a single in his first game at PNC Park since leaving the Pirates. He played for Pittsburgh from 2010 to 2015 and was greeted with a warm reception by the crowd.

"That was pretty cool," Alvarez said. "I didn't know what to expect. I thought it was very classy on the Pirates' part. I'm not too much of an emotional guy, but that was pretty cool to get that kind of reception from the organization and the fans."

Felipe Rivero pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances. Rivero's first pitch of the outing was clocked at 102.6 mph by Statcast, the fastest pitch thrown by a National League pitcher this season.

TRAINING ROOM

Orioles: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (sore back) and RHP Dylan Bundy (left hamstring strain) will both be shut down for the remainder of the season. ... SS Tim Beckham (right hamstring) missed his third consecutive game. ... CF Adam Jones (leg soreness) did not play for the second straight day.

Pirates: SS Jordy Mercer (knee) missed his third straight game.

UP NEXT

Orioles: After an off day, Wade Miley (8-14, 5.52 ERA) will start the final series of the season Friday against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. Miley is 0-4 with a 9.92 ERA in September.

Pirates: Ivan Nova (11-14, 4.14) will start a four-game series in Washington on Thursday. Nova has lost four straight decisions and eight of his last nine dating to July 23.

McCutchen's 1st grand slam powers Pirates over Orioles 10-1

By Alan Saunders, The Associated Press

http://www.nydailynews.com/

September 26, 2017

Andrew McCutchen (.278, 28 HR, 87 RBI) celebrates as he heads to third base after hitting his first career grand-slam home run in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Pittsburgh.(Keith Srakocic/AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen knew it as soon as the ball left his bat.

The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder had sent a ball 412 feet into the center field seats, clearing the wall for his first career grand slam as part of an eight-RBI game in his team's 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

McCutchen raised his arms in celebration, as if to suggest a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

The five-time All Star and 2013 National League MVP had 5,016 major-league at-bats coming into the game and 201 home runs, but had never hit one with the bases load until he connected with Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman's 2-1 offering in the second inning.

McCutchen had been open about the grand slam remaining an item on his career bucket list this season, and he said it was definitely on his mind as he stepped into the batter's box with three men on base.

"He's been very transparent about the fact that it's on his bucket list," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It's been on his to-do list. And there's been a good quantity of at-bats. He's driven in runs, hadn't been able to hit a grand slam. He was able to wipe that off the list tonight. His facial expression on the trip around the bases said it all."

That wasn't the end of McCutchen's big night. In his first at-bat, McCutchen had hit an RBI double and scored. He also singled and scored in the fifth. In the seventh inning, he came up needing a triple for the cycle. Instead, he hit a three-run home run to give him eight RBIs, one off the franchise record and the most by a Pirate since Jason Bay in 2004.

McCutchen was feted by the PNC Park faithful with curtain calls after each of his home runs and was removed from the game to an ovation in the top of the ninth inning.

"You cherish all the good days and the bad ones," McCutchen said. "You'll have more bad ones than good ones, that's for sure. When you have a good one, it's something special."

McCutchen has spent nine seasons in Pittsburgh, but faces an uncertain future. He was the subject of trade rumors last offseason. The club holds an option for his services for 2018.

"I thought it was appropriate at the time, in front of the hometown crowd, last homestand," Hurdle said. "It's a special night. The fans were very appreciative. He's done a lot of wonderful things here on the North Shore. Tonight was a very, very special night for him."

Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco drove in runs as the Pirates rallied for six runs in four innings against Gausman (11-11).

"I didn't give up too many hard-hit balls except for the two that McCutchen hit," Gausman said. "That was the difference, obviously. Kind of frustrating. I feel like I've been kind of getting in a groove lately."

Pirates starter Trevor Williams (7-9) worked six three-hit innings and allowed just one run. He struck out six, giving him 116 on the season, the most by a Pirates rookie since Paul Maholm in 2006.

Rookie Steven Brault pitched the final three innings for his first career save.

TRAINING ROOM

Orioles: SS Tim Beckham missed his second straight game with a right hamstring injury suffered on Saturday. Manager Buck Showalter hopes for him to return this season. ... CF Adam Jones (leg soreness) did not play.

Pirates: SS Jordy Mercer (knee) missed his second consecutive game.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Gabriel Ynoa (2-2, 3.41 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season. He's coming off his best start of the season, a one-run, eight-inning outing against Tampa on Sept. 21.

Pirates: Chad Kuhl (7-11, 4.31) will make his 31st start of the season. He's coming off a four-run performance, all of which came via solo home runs.

Bears rediscover their identity in ground-and-pound victory over Steelers

By Brad Biggs

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/

September 24, 2017

Steelers free safety Mike Mitchell can't catch Bears running back Jordan Howard as he heads into the end zone to score the game-winning touchdown.(Eric Hooley/Chicago Tribune)

Finally, the Bears are who we thought they should be when this season began.

That's a run-first team with a good defense and a desire to shorten the game while looking for a shot to put it away near the end. That formula worked out for them on a hot and sticky Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.

It's premature to wonder if a 23-17 overtime victory over the Steelers, who reached the AFC championship game last season, can change the trajectory of this Bears season. They'll surely want to savor it for a night, anyway, before preparing for Thursday night's game against the Packers at Lambeau Field. But at least it's reassuring to know they remember where the strength of the roster is.

Behind Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen and an offensive line that continues to piece things together, the Bears ground out an upset of the Steelers, giving third-year coach John Fox his first win in September.

Guard Kyle Long played for the first time, filling in on the right side with Josh Sittonsidelined by a rib injury. A week after he played all three interior positions, Cody Whitehair played left guard and center as a right hand injury knocked out Hroniss Grasu, forcing Bradley Sowell into action.

Howard, who had only 22 carries in the first two games, rumbled for 138 yards on 23 rushes, breaking tackles all over the field and ending things 93 seconds into the extra session with a 19-yard touchdown run. On the game-winner, he steamed through a huge hole on the left side created by tackle Charles Leno and tight end Adam Shaheen and took advantage of an aggressive downfield block by wide receiver Deonte Thompson.

"I couldn't even believe," Howard said. "I had to look back to make sure there weren't any flags. Because that's like a dream come true. You always dream about stuff like that, but it never happens. That was crazy."

What was nuts was how the Bears got away from the running game the first two weeks of the season. Yes, they needed to throw to catch up against the Falcons in Week 1 and fell miserably behind in Week 2 against the Buccaneers, but after two games you wondered if they'd forgotten Howard ran for 1,313 yards as one of the team's few bright spots last season.

Cohen added 78 yards on 12 carries, including a 36-yard gain two plays before Howard's winner. Cohen sped down the Bears sideline before cutting back across the field and weaving his way into the end zone and launching the football into the south grandstand. It looked like a 73-yard touchdown, but officials ruled his right foot touched out of bounds.

It's a formula for victory that can work even when the four wide receivers in uniform combine for four targets, one catch and only 9 yards. Quarterback Mike Glennon was 15 of 22 for 101 yards and one interception a week after he was picked off twice and his targets dropped seven passes.

There was a marked difference in the game plan. Counting plays with penalties, there were 19 snaps with two tight ends on the field and eight with three, including on Howard's winning touchdown. Fullback Michael Burton received a season-high 15 snaps and there were only 15 plays with three wide receivers on the field. Twelve of Glennon's 21 passes were intended for running backs, but the primary theme was run, run, run.

"We just kept at it," right tackle Bobby Massie said. "They can't practice what we do. We run zone. You can emulate it in practice, but once you get out here, that's our No. 1 thing. We kept chopping, kept chopping and the holes eventually opened. Running backs found them. Jordan and Tarik had a great game. Hats off to them."

Howard, who lost one fumble, kept returning to the game despite heading to the sideline twice after banging up his injured right shoulder.

"Sometimes I was hurt pretty bad," he admitted. "I didn't feel like I could finish. But Benny Cunningham, he kept pushing me through, and my coach (Curtis Modkins), and I just saw my team, they kept fighting. So I had to keep playing."

The holes were there over and over against a Steelers front that was without end Stephon Tuitt and outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

"It was a tribute to the guys up front," Fox said. "I think we kind of stepped over ourselves a little bit in Tampa. Our guys knew that, especially up front. That's kind of what we are and what we are going to be."

Self-awareness is a powerful tool and proved, in this instance, to be a great thing for the Bears.

bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

Cardinals stumble again with 4-1 loss to Pirates

By Will Graves, The Associated Press

http://lancasteronline.com/sports/

September 25, 2017

Chris Bostick scores on a sacrifice fly by Elias Diaz in the third inning (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals are running out of time to make their September surge extend their season beyond the first day of October.

Seung Hwan Oh's difficult season hit another low point when he surrendered a go-ahead two-run homer to Pittsburgh's Starling Marte in the fifth inning on Sunday as the Pirates pulled away for a 4-1 victory to blunt the Cardinals' momentum heading into the regular season's final week.

St. Louis began the day 1½ games behind Colorado for the NL's second wild card but mustered just four hits against Jameson Taillon and five relievers while falling to Pittsburgh for the second time in less than 24 hours. The Cardinals headed home for a seven-game homestand starting on Monday against the Chicago Cubs with little wiggle room left.

"Yeah we understand the urgency," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "We understand all the numbers. We just don't spend too much time on them because they're irrelevant to what we have to do. What we have to do is go play good baseball, that's it."

The Cardinals came into Pittsburgh riding a sweep of Cincinnati. They leave having dropped two of three to the Pirates. On Saturday night Pittsburgh chased Lance Lynn in the first inning of an 11-6 romp. On Sunday the Pirates relied on five strong innings from Taillon (8-7) and pounced when Oh (1-6) ran into trouble in the fifth.

With the score 1-1, Pat Bostick singled against Oh leading off the inning and Starling Marte followed with his seventh home run . The drive was the 10th allowed by Oh this season in 62 appearances. He gave up just five in 76 games a rookie in 2016.

"Obviously, everyone can see how it is, very tough," Oh said through a translator. "None of the fastballs or off-speed pitches are working well."

Jordan Luplow went deep an inning later off Brett Cecil to give Pittsburgh a three-run cushion. Taillon labored at times through his final home start of the season and needed 95 pitches to get 15 outs. He kept the Cardinals in check and five pitchers combined for hitless relief, with Felipe Rivero striking out two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 21 chances.

"The command was a little off, but he made pitches at crunch time throughout the game," Hurdle said of Taillon. "His competitive fire was burning."

Matt Carpenter hit his 22nd home run for St. Louis but the Cardinals went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. St. Louis had a chance to close the gap in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs. Pittsburgh reliever George Kontos got Tommy Pham to hit into a forceout to end the threat.

"We were getting two outs, men in scoring position, bases loaded," Matheny said. "Someone's got to come through and do something really big and it didn't happen. It's not easy to do."

FINISHING KICK

Taillon's first full season in the majors included a battle with testicular cancer that forced him to miss more than a month. He's endured an uneven year on the mound and has only worked into the seventh three times since returning from the disabled list in June. Still, the 25-year-old lowered his ERA this month to 3.91 in four starts.

"That was my goal I committed to in September, specifically after that little layoff I had," Taillon said. "I really wanted to finish strong, so it felt strong to have a good one."

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle praised Taillon's mettle in the fifth, when Taillon battled through a pair of one-out singles to strike out Carpenter and Pham.

"He showed the guys in the dugout something," Hurdle said. "I think he threw one fastball at 97. He threw some curveballs that were sharp even though the pitches were over 30. To see that fight, he had good stuff today. The command was a little off, but he made pitches at crunch time throughout the game. His competitive fire was burning."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: 1B Jose Martinez is dealing with a sprained left thumb and a timetable for his return is uncertain. Martinez had an MRI in St. Louis on Saturday that revealed no serious damage. Martinez flew to St. Louis after leaving Friday night's win against the Pirates in the sixth inning due to pain in the thumb.

Pirates: SS Jordy Mercer was held out of the lineup after exiting Saturday night's victory with soreness in his left knee.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (7-1, 2.05 ERA) starts Monday against the Cubs and LHP Jon Lester (11-8, 4.56). St. Louis is 4-11 against Chicago this season.

Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (6-9, 4.18) starts Tuesday versus Baltimore and RHP Kevin Gausman (11-10, 4.61).

___

More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Another curious loss becomes alarming for Steelers after Jordan Howard walk-off

Jeremy FowlerESPN Staff Writerhttp://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/September 26, 2017

Tarik Cohen #29 of the Chicago Bears breaks a long run in overtime against J.J. Wilcox #27 of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field on September 24, 2017 in Chicago

 Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO -- It's easy to look at the Pittsburgh Steelers' three consecutive seasons of double-digit wins and ignore the occasional lapse. But curious losses against inferior teams are making that difficult.

The Steelers' 23-17 overtime loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field -- thanks to an overpowering Chicago rushing performance in overtime -- was Pittsburgh's sixth loss against a sub-.500 team since 2014.

Bears running back Tarik Cohen's apparent 73-yard walk-off touchdown was called back after he stepped out of bounds, but Jordan Howard sealed it a few plays later with his 19-yard, game-winning score.

The Bears looked in command all game, which reveals an ugly truth about the Steelers' insistence on playing down to competition.

After Howard's game-winning touchdown run through a sea of defensive backs, Steelers cornerback Artie Burns flung his helmet and walked to the locker room without it. Safety Mike Mitchell lay by the end zone, his face mask buried in the grass.

Despite some efforts to cure the Bears' early run success and creating two turnovers in the second half, the Steelers looked outmatched on the final drive.

"We got our asses kicked," defensive end Cam Heyward said.

The offense didn't fare much better.

With 52 seconds left in regulation, one timeout remaining and 85 yards from the end zone, the Steelers walked to the line of scrimmage looking like a high-powered offense should. The result? They gained 17 yards on two passes, called a timeout, and took a sack off a three-man rush before regulation ended.

"We thought we were going to go score and win the game," tight end Jesse James said .

The Steelers just can't reach back and consistently overpower teams on the road. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finished with one touchdown pass, the ninth time in his past 11 road games he has had one passing score or less.

The Bears tried to lose this game at several points, including back-to-back penalties on a fourth-quarter drive. This was a game Pittsburgh probably should have won convincingly.

As the Steelers were late out of the tunnel pregame, their play reflected as much early in the game. The Bears' gaping running holes were alarming for a Steelers defense that prides itself on stopping the run. Howard & Co. burst through those holes for 114 rushing yards in the first half despite no Bears receiver recording a catch before halftime.

The Steelers' second-half adjustments reduced those holes, forcing Bears quarterback Mike Glennon to throw uncomfortably from the pocket without much downfield help. Credit the Steelers' defense for attacking the ball carrier.

Antonio Brown was brilliant once again, but the Steelers are waiting on the brilliance of others, too.

Through the season's first eight quarters on the road, Roethlisberger 21-of-25 for 291 yards and a touchdown when targeting Brown, but just 25-of-50 for 206 yards and an interception when targeting everyone else.

A 25-yard strike to rookie JuJu Smith-Schusterr early in the fourth proved crucial. Le'Veon Bell's steady but unspectacular play continued for the most part; he was good after contact and his 13-yard run late in the fourth quarter helped the Steelers out of a first-and-20 situation and kept a crucial drive alive.

It wasn't enough.

The Steelers' offense looked most comfortable in the no-huddle that Roethlisberger loves. That setup dominated a 13-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a Brown touchdown in the second quarter. But the rest of the offensive attack was mostly uninspiring. Who would have thought one of the most feared NFL offensive attacks would be searching for its 2017 identity through three games?

Lynn struggles in Cardinals' 11-6 loss to Pirates

By Wes Crosby, The Associated Press

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports

September 23, 2017

Pittsburgh Pirates' Starling Marte slides safely into third with a triple off St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Lucas in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 in Pittsburgh.(Gene J. Puskar/AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lance Lynn said he felt fine. He and the St. Louis Cardinals just slipped up Saturday night.

Lynn allowed eight runs in the first inning, and the Cardinals ended a four-game winning streak with an 11-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Lynn (11-8) got two outs before being pulled after six hits and eight runs in his shortest outing since Aug. 13, 2015, also at Pittsburgh.

"There were a couple balls up, and then a couple things didn't go my way," Lynn said. "Unfortunately, that happens some nights. Usually, I'm able to get through it. Tonight it just kind of snowballed.

"It's that time of year where you feel good. I'm just happy I feel good, but I've got to hone it back in and make quality pitches."

St. Louis (81-73) entered the day 1 1/2 games behind Colorado, which plays San Diego on Saturday night, for the second NL wild card.

The Cardinals remained five games behind the Cubs in the NL Central after Chicago lost to Milwaukee, which is a half-game ahead of the Cardinals.

Tommy Pham gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead against Gerrit Cole (12-11) two batters into the game when he sent the first pitch of his at-bat over the center-field wall. Pham was 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

Then Pittsburgh got to Lynn. David Freese and Elias Dias each singled with the bases loaded before Jordy Mercer and Starling Marte each tripled to build an 8-2 lead. Marte also walked in the inning, and Adam Frazier doubled and walked in the inning.

"It looked like (Lynn) was just missing it," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "(He) got into bad counts, too much movement, wasn't able to make the adjustments to get back on the plate. ... Then they were in a position where they needed big hits, and they kind of stacked them together to the point where he couldn't stop the bleeding."

Marte added another Pirates run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning, Mercer made it 10-3 with a double in the fifth and Freese also doubled to make it 11-6 in the eighth.

"They know what they want to do when they get up there," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Sometimes when it happens, it looks easy. It looks effortless."

Even with two wins in its past three games, Pittsburgh (70-85) has lost eight of its past 10.

Cole (12-11) allowed five runs and seven hits for his first win since Aug. 26. He had lost three straight decisions.

STUMBLING OUT OF THE GATE

On his 42nd pitch of the first inning, Lynn walked Frazier before Matheny pulled him in favor of reliever Josh Lucas. He had not allowed more than seven runs in a start this season.

AN UNUSUAL RECORD

Trailing 10-3 entering the sixth inning, Matheny tied a major league record by using six pinch-hitters in an inning in an apparent attempt to save his regulars for Sunday. The Cardinals scored three runs to cut the Pirates' lead to 10-6.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP John Gant (0-0, 3.86) will look for his second major league win when he faces the Pirates on Sunday. His first win came June 17, 2016, against the Atlanta Braves. Gant allowed two runs in one inning his last time out on Sept. 19 after pitching five scoreless innings in his previous four appearances.

Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (7-7, 4.73) will attempt to put together a second consecutive strong start when he takes the mound Sunday. After allowing six runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 7, he surrendered two on six hits in five innings during a 3-0 loss to the Brewers on Sept. 18.

___

More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball