Liberatore Ends Winless Streak, Cardinals Beat Pirates

Matthew Liberatore ended an 11-start winless streak as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Wednesday night. Liberatore allowed one run on six hits, walked none and struck out six over 5⅔ innings, with Pittsburgh’s only run coming on Brandon Lowe’s solo homer. St. Louis broke open the game with a three-run third inning, then added two more runs in the fourth. Alec Burleson drove in his major-league-best 112th run, while JJ Wetherholt collected three hits, José Fermín had two hits and Masyn Winn contributed an RBI double. The loss ended Pittsburgh’s five-game winning streak, and the Cardinals must win their final four games to avoid consecutive losing seasons.