Cards steal dramatic win in Pittsburgh

Cards steal dramatic win in Pittsburgh

MLB.com PITTSBURGH — Down to their last strike, the Cardinals powered their way to an improbable ninth-inning comeback against Pirates closer Tony Watson, crushing three home runs and escaping with a dramatic 9-7 win.

With the Cards trailing by a run with two outs and nobody on in the ninth, Matt Carpenter blasted an 0-2 pitch from Watson to right-center field, tying the game. That shot silenced PNC Park, but it did not stop the Cardinals' rally. Yadier Molina ripped a double to left, then Randal Grichuk launched a tworun homer to left. Jhonny Peralta followed with St. Louis' third homer of the inning and fifth of the game, a solo shot to rightcenter.

All nine runs the Cardinals scored came via homers. They had last hit three home runs in the ninth inning on Oct. 1, 2006, when Albert Pujols, Chris Duncan and Scott Spiezio went deep in a loss.

'The home run has been the majority of our runs scored [all season], and we have so many guys who can hit it out of the park,' said Grichuk, who has hit 22 of the team's NL-most 201. 'It's definitely fun seeing the other team thinking they had it and then taking it away from them.'

That brought an end to Watson's night and extended the Pirates' ill-timed losing skid to eight games, none of the losses more devastating than this one. Pittsburgh was one strike away from finally turning the tide; instead, the Bucs were left to digest another brutal defeat.

'Left a pitch middle-up, and [Carpenter] drove it. Terrible pitch, one you wish you had back,' Watson said. 'It [stinks]. It [stinks] to sit here and be the losing pitcher on a night the guys fought back.'

Pittsburgh fell two games below .500 on the year and 5 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the National League Wild Card standings. The Cardinals remain a half-game behind San Francisco for the top NL Wild Card spot.

By Adam Berry and Jenifer Langosch