Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, leading St. Louis over Pittsburgh 3-1 in a doubleheader opener. Goldschmidt hit a go-ahead, two-run drive in the third inning off JT Brubaker, and boosted the lead to 3-0 with an RBI grounder in the fourth. Yadier Molina had 11 putouts on 10 strikeouts and a foul popup, and with 14,870 passed Iván Rodríguez (14,864) for most among catchers in major league history. Matthew Liberatore allowed three hits in five scoreless innings, striking out five and walking two in his fourth big league start. Giovanny Gallegos pitched a one-hit ninth for his ninth save in 12 chances, finishing a seven-hitter.
Miles Mikolas was one strike from a no-hitter when he gave up a double to Cal Mitchell with two outs in the ninth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1 to sweep a doubleheader Tuesday night. Mitchell drove a 2-2 curveball over the head of Gold Glove center fielder Harrison Bader and just beyond his outstretched mitt as he tried to make a running catch with his back to home plate. The ball bounced on the warning track 383 feet from the plate and over the wall in straightaway center for a ground-rule double. The hit came on the 129th pitch from Mikolas (5-4), a career high. He was lifted right after that for Packy Naughton, who got the final out to hand the Pirates their ninth straight loss. The 33-year-old Mikolas bent over at the waist for a moment when Mitchell’s drive dropped. He struck out six, walked one and left to a standing ovation. The most recent no-hitter for the Cardinals was thrown by rookie Bud Smith in a 4-0 win over San Diego on Sept. 3, 2001. The last one at home came from Bob Forsch in 1983.