Rookie slugger Rafael Flores Jr. hit a three-run home run for the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, who effectively used six pitchers in a bullpen game to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Brandon Lowe added a solo homer in the first inning for the Pirates, who overcame shaky defense to even the three-game series among fringe postseason contenders.
Right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (7-6) earned the victory by allowing an unearned run and one hit in 3 1/3 relief innings. He followed opener Lake Bachar and lefty Evan Sisk. Gregory Soto, Luke Weaver and Mason Montgomery finished, throwing one scoreless inning apiece.
Jacob Gonzalez hit a tie-breaking RBI single in the fourth, and Flores made it 5-1 with two outs in the fifth with his seventh homer of the season. It came against left-hander Brycen Mautz (0-1) who had been recalled before the game to give an overworked Cards bullpen a fresh arm.
The Pirates made fielding errors on three consecutive routine-looking plays with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but it cost them only one run.
Playing shortstop, Gonzalez booted consecutive grounders, including what appeared to be a tailor-made double-play ball hit up the middle by Nathan Church, giving the Cardinals runners at first and second.
Jose Fermin followed with a lazy fly ball to center that Oneil Cruz misjudged and let fly over the top of his glove for a two-base error to bring the Cardinals within 5-2.
TV cameras caught Mlodzinski giving a look of disbelief as he walked back to the mound. But with runners at second and third, Nolan Gorman and Joshua Baez popped out harmlessly, enabling the Pirates to mostly get away with it.
Nick Gonzales lined an RBI double to left in the ninth for the Bucs, who came in having scored five runs total in their five previous games.
Baez hit a solo shot in the third against Bachar for his fifth home run for the Cardinals, who finished with three hits total.
Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy allowed a run, four hits and a walk in three innings, with manager Oliver Marmol limiting his workload for the rest of the season.
