The Pittsburgh Pirates had a glimmer of hope left for a chance at the NL Central division, but the St. Louis Cardinals put down those hopes as they wrapped up their third straight division title Wednesday night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Pirates won the first game of the day-night doubleheader, but this one was all Cardinals.
The two teams with the best records in baseball had some tense moments down the stretch, but this was the Cardinals division to lose the entire time and they weren't going to let anyone take it from them.
St. Louis got the bats out Wednesday night after getting mostly shut down by Gerrit Cole in game one of the day-night doubleheader.
The Cardinals got a great start out of Tyler Lyons in their division clinching win as he went seven shutout innings allowing just four hits while striking out five and not allowing a walk. Lyons could be a key component to postseason success as their rotation is in flux.
St. Louis' offense got it going right off of the bat scoring two runs in the first inning highlighted by a two-out RBI double by Matt Adams.
The Cardinals got their big hit in this one in the third inning behind a grand slam off of the bat of Jason Heyward to give his team a 6-0 lead and break this game wide open.
That was given up by Bobby LaFromboise, but Charlie Morton was the one with the most damage done against him. Morton went just two innings plus giving up five runs on four hits while striking out one and walking one. This was obviously not a good outing as the Pirates now prepare for their Wild Card matchup with the Chicago Cubs.
The Cardinals added on in the seventh and eighth inning behind Jhonny Peralta. He hit an RBI single in the seventh which was followed by a two RBI single in the eighth to give St. Louis more than enough insurance.
The Pirates weren't going away without a fight as Jordy Mercer drove in a run to make it 9-1, but this result was never in doubt. But, the Cardinals weren't quite done scoring yet as Tony Cruz blasted a two-run home run.
With the Cardinals wrapping up the division, the NL Wild Card game is now set with the Pirates facing the Cubs. Chicago still has a chance at hosting the one-game playoff, but it will most likely take place at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
With this win, not only did the Cardinals wrap up the division, but they also reached the century mark in terms of wins as they hold the best record in baseball and will carry the number one seed into the National League playoffs. It is the ninth time in franchise history that they have eclipsed the 100 win mark.
WP: Tyler Lyons (3-1, 3.47 ERA)
LP: Charlie Morton (9-9, 4.81 ERA)