St. Louis Cardinals Jhonny Peralta grimaces after swinging the bat in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 5, 2016. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Former Cardinals David Freese and Eric Fryer played a significant role in helping the Pirates pull to within a half game of second place St. Louis in a 5-2 final on Tuesday night.
Fryer, who was plucked off waivers on Sunday from the Cardinals, had an RBI single in the fifth inning, tying the game at 2-2.  Freese had a go-ahead RBI single to score Andrew McCutchen in the sixth. Three batters later, Fryer made it 5-2 with a two-run double down the right-field line.
This is Freese’s second time in St. Louis and the crowds continue to give him a standing ovation. Â However, after Tuesday’s performance, he forget receiving any more applause.
“I can’t express how humbling it really is,” Freese said. “Coming back the second time, it’s almost embarrassing. But it’s cool. I really appreciate it. It’s awesome.”
Cardinals third baseman Jhonny Peralta left in the fourth inning after thumb discomfort. Â Manager Mike Matheny tried to downplay the seriousness of the injury.
“Jhonny’s thumb is sore, so we’re just being cautious,” Matheny said.
Matheny also said it was a different area on the same thumb which he had surgery on. Peralta just returned a month ago on June 7 after missing 57 games.
