Cardinals sweep Bucs

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer and Adam Wainwright stayed unbeaten at home with seven strong innings and the go-ahead RBI for the St. Louis Cardinals in a 9-1 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Pujols’s 25th homer capped a five-run fifth inning.

Wainwright (15-6) allowed one earned run and six hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter, bouncing back strong from one of his worst outings of the season. He improved to 11-0 at Busch Stadium with a 1.22 ERA, both major league bests.

St. Louis broke a 1-1 tie with a fifth-inning explosion against Pittsburgh starter Zach Duke (5-10), who gave up six earned runs in five innings.

The Cardinals outscored Pittsburgh 21-2 in sweeping the three-game series.

Full story appears in Monday’s edition of The Vindicator.