Wild Gorzelanny helps Cardinals snap losing skid

The Pirates pitcher allowed no hits through four innings before losing 6-2.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brian Barton’s two-run single in the fifth inning gave St. Louis the lead on its first hit off erratic Pittsburgh starter Tom Gorzelanny, and the Cardinals went on beat the Pirates 6-2 behind Joel Pineiro’s seven effective innings Thursday night.

The Cardinals avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season, putting nine runners on base — seven on Gorzelanny-issued walks — before finally getting a hit. Albert Pujols followed Barton’s single with an RBI single that made it 3-1, and Brendan Ryan and Skip Schumaker drove in runs against Phil Dumatrait during a two-run sixth.

Pujols went 2-for-2 and reached base in all five plate appearances, walking twice and getting hit with a pitch. He has reached base in all 23 games and has an on-base percentage of .525.

Yadier Molina doubled twice for the Cardinals among his three hits and scored, while Barton had two hits and reached base four times. The three Pirates pitchers gave up 12 hits and walked eight, although the Cardinals stranded 11 runners.

Gorzelanny (1-3) took a no-hitter and a 1-0 lead into the fifth despite allowing base runners in all but one inning, only to walk the bases full ahead of Barton’s single. Gorzelanny threw only 49 of his 94 pitches for strikes, with the wildness forcing him out of the game even though he gave up only two singles in five innings.

Gorzelanny, a 14-game winner last season, has walked 22 in five starts — compared to 13 strikeouts — and has an 8.46 ERA.

Pineiro (1-2), winning for the first time since beating the Mets 3-0 on Sept. 27, came into the game with an opponents’ batting average of .391 and an 8.10 ERA, only to limit Pittsburgh to one run on four hits, striking out six and walking one. He is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in four career appearances against the Pirates.

Pineiro didn’t have a strikeout while allowing nine runs in 10 innings during his previous two starts.

Pineiro stayed in the game despite being struck in the back of the left thigh by Freddy Sanchez’s hard-hit ball up the middle in the sixth. The pitcher grabbed the ball in midair after it struck him and, turning sharply while throwing, retired Sanchez at first. Pineiro was checked by a club trainer before staying in the game.