Pirates rally past Cardinals in 10th

Jason Michaels hit a two-run homer in the 10th — the team’s third big home run.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jason Michaels hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning, the Pirates’ third big homer in three innings, and Pittsburgh rallied from six runs down in the eighth to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 12-11 Saturday night.

The Cardinals appeared to be cruising with a season-high 22 hits while taking leads of 9-3 in the seventh and 10-4 in the eighth, but Jason Bay hit his second two-run homer of the game in the eighth.

The Pirates tied it with four runs in the ninth on Nate McLouth’s three-run shot off Jason Isringhausen and Bay’s fifth RBI of the game, on a force-play grounder.

Troy Glaus homered leading off the 10th for St. Louis’ 10th extra-base hit, but the Cardinals’ unreliable bullpen couldn’t hold this lead, either. Cardinals relievers have lost 20 games and lead the majors with 22 blown saves.

The Cardinals outhit the Pirates 22-13 but left 12 on base.

Denny Bautista (3-1) got the victory despite allowing Glaus’ homer leading off the 10th.

Raul Chavez singled to start the Pirates’ 10th against Kyle McClellan, who was lifted for rookie Chris Perez (2-1). Michaels, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth, followed a batter later with a drive into the left-center seats for his fourth homer.

The Cardinals fell 51‚Ñ2 games behind NL Central leader Chicago despite totaling 17 runs and 35 hits in the first two games of the three-game series after scoring more than two runs only once in their previous seven. They were outscored 32-13 while losing five of those seven.

Offense wasn’t the Cardinals’ problem in this one as NL All-Star Ludwick went 3-for-5, Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel each doubled twice and Yadier Molina went 4-for-6, giving him six hits in two nights and raising his average to .313.

The Cardinals easily topped the 16 hits they had several times previously this season.

The Pirates’ rally cost Todd Wellemeyer his first victory since June 5 after he allowed four runs in 6 1-3 innings. He hadn’t lasted past the fifth inning in his previous four starts.

Much of the Cardinals’ big night came against right-hander Yoslan Herrera, a former Cuban national pitcher who was recalled from Double-A Altoona to allow 11 hits and six runs in 4 1-3 innings in his major league debut. Herrera signed a $1.92 million, three-year contract before the 2007 season, but had not pitched in the majors until Saturday.

Bay’s two-run drive in the first gave Herrera a 2-0 lead, but he quickly gave it back by allowing six hits in a span of nine batters as St. Louis scored three times in the third and twice in the fourth.

Pirates third baseman Doug Mientkiewicz was ejected by umpire Eric Cooper in the fourth for running across the infield to argue that Pujols was out at second on a double down the line that eluded Mientkiewicz. The Pirates trailed 5-2 at the time.