Rob Mackowiak hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to snap a 1-1 tie and give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The loss snaps a nine-game winning streak for the Redbirds. Dustin Hermanson allowed just two runs on seven hits in seven innings but he took the loss to fall to 13-13. Despite the defeat, the Cardinals are still three games up in the National League wildcard race. They open a three-game series in Houston tonight. St. Louis trails the Astros by 4 1/2 games in the race for the National League Central crown.
