Bell has 5 RBIs, Pirates take 3rd straight from Cards, 10-6
By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Bell put on a show for his mom on Mother’s Day.
With his mother Myrtle in the stands at Busch Stadium, Bell homered and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Adam Frazier added a two-run, tiebreaking pinch-hit double as the Pirates scored five times in the seventh inning and twice in the eighth to rally from a 6-3 deficit.
Pittsburgh has won six of eight, including the final three of its four-game series at St. Louis.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle had warned Bell that he’d better come through.
“Jokingly, before the game, I said, ‘You need to do something special for Myrtle,'” Hurdle said. “He said, ‘Yeah, I’ve got this.'”
Bell went 4-for-4, extending his hitting streak to a major league-best 12 games. He reached base five times, including an intentional walk, and is 20-for-49 (.408) during the streak with four homers and 16 RBIs.
“It was awesome,” Bell said. “It’s one of those scenarios where I know my mom would be just as excited to watch me play if I go 0-for-4. To be able to celebrate the win with (her) watching, it’s unbelievable.”
Myrtle lives in Louisiana and travels to see her son play at least once a month.
“His work ethic is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Pittsburgh infielder Kevin Newman said. “He’s in the cage all the time. He works his tail off on defense. I couldn’t be any happier for him.”
Bell’s three-run homer off John Brebbia (1-2) in the seventh tied the game at 6-6. Francisco Cervelli, who had three hits, followed with a double, Melky Cabrera drew a walk and then Frazier smacked a two-run double to right.
Paul Goldschmidt and José Martínez homered for the Cardinals, who have lost five of six and nine of 11.
Chris Stratton (1-2), acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, worked a scoreless sixth for the win.
Brebbia (1-2) gave up three runs on three hits in one inning.
“When you make bad pitches to guys who are taking good swings, it’s not going to be good,” Brebbia said.
Colin Moran added two-run double in the eighth to conclude the scoring.
After the Pirates scored three times in the first, Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer off Steven Brault in the bottom half to start a four-run outburst.
Martínez, who went 3-for-5, had a two-run homer in the third. Bryan Reynolds made a leaping catch in the ninth to rob him of a possible second homer.
St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson gave up three runs on nine hits over six innings.
Brault, making his second start of the season, lasted 3 2/3 innings. He gave up six runs on nine hits.
Goldschmidt, who was 9-for-17 in the series, snapped an 18-game streak without a home run.
“We obviously haven’t won as many games as we’ve wanted to the last 10 or 11 games,” Goldschmidt said. “The focus is just to go out there and win the next one.”
FULL HOUSE
The crowd was announced at 48,555, the largest in the history of the new Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006. It was St. Louis’ fourth sellout of the season.
ON THE WAY BACK
Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martínez threw a scoreless inning on Friday for Triple-A Memphis. He has not given up a run in three rehab appearances covering three innings. Martínez has not pitched in the majors this season because of a right shoulder cuff strain.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Nick Burdi was transferred to the 60-day injured list. He has pain in his right biceps.
Cardinals: INF Matt Carpenter was held out of the starting lineup for a day of rest. He walked as pinch-hitter in the eighth.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Nick Kingham (1-0, 5.94 ERA) will start in the opener of a three-game series at Arizona on Monday night. Kingham, who has nine appearances as a reliever and one as a starter this season, is 5-7 in 16 lifetime starts.
Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-3, 4.32) will face Atlanta RHP Mike Foltynewicz (0-2, 5.94) as the teams begin a three-game series Tuesday. The Cardinals were shut out in each of Flaherty’s last two starts.
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