Cardinals starting pitcher Jeff Suppan took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but that effort was wasted, with a lack of timely hitting and a crucial error in a 2-1 loss in Pittsburgh. Jason Bay’s RBI double in the seventh inning was one of just three hits for the Pirates, but it tied the game at one. It erased Tony Womack’s RBI double in the second inning, which gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. In the ninth, with one out, Julian Tavarez gave up a double to Jack Wilson, who made a crucial running mistake, which paid off. Wilson headed to third and should have be been easily thrown out, but Albert Pujols’ throw to third was wild and Wilson scored the game-winning run. Tavarez was charged with the loss and the Cardinals winning streak ended at five games. Their lead over idle Cincinnati and Chicago dropped to four-and-a-half games in the National League Central.
