Lance Lynn won his first start since 2015 as he pitched seven shutout innings and Kolten Wong chipped in with his first home run as the Cardinals ended a three-game losing streak, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Monday night at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals improved to 4-9.
Mike Matheny was hoping to jump start the offense by tinkering with the lineup. Greg Garcia got the start at third over Jhonny Peralta, but went 0-for-3. Jose Martinez, hitting .500 before the game, went 1-for-3 and drove in the Cardinals insurance run in the seventh putting St. Louis up 2-0 on Ivan Nova.
Martinez was playing first as Matt Carpenter sat out with a swollen hand after taking a ground ball to his throwing hand in New York on Sunday.
Lynn (1-1) allowed three hits and struck out five while walking one. He also hit two batters, but he slowed a Pirates team that came in on a three-game win streak, sweeping the Cubs.
