PITTSBURGH (AP) – Paul DeJong hit a career-high three home runs, including one during a nine-run second inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals walloped the Pittsburgh Pirates 14-8 on Wednesday night.
DeJong, Andrew Knizner and Paul Goldschmidt each hit two-run homers in the second while the Cardinals batted around against starter Jordan Lyles (5-7). St. Louis also had five doubles for a total of eight extra-base hits in the inning, tying a major league record.
Goldschmidt started the second by reaching on an error and came around on DeJong’s homer to left-center. After back-to-back doubles, Knizner hit his first career home run. A walk and a double scored another before Goldschmidt smashed an estimated 437-foot home run to the second deck in left to chase Lyles.
DeJong also doubled in the second, connected for a two-run homer in the fourth and hit a solo shot in the eighth. He finished 4 for 4 with five RBIs and four runs. The 25-year-old is the youngest Cardinals hitter with a three-homer game since 24-year-old Albert Pujols in 2004, MLB.com said.
St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright (7-7) used 105 pitches to get through five innings and gave up four runs, five hits and four walks while striking out five.
Pirates reliever Keone Kela made his return from the injured list and a two-game suspension for an unspecified violation of his contract by working one scoreless inning. Pirates position players Jose Osuna and Jacob Stallings pitched the final three innings, allowing one run on DeJong’s solo homer off Osuna in the eighth. Osuna ran his fastball up to 93.1 mph.
Lyles was charged with eight runs, five earned, over 1 2/3 innings. It was the second time in three starts that Lyles was pulled early. He lasted just two-thirds of an inning on July 13.
Luis Escobar yielded the final run of the second inning and then four in the fourth on DeJong’s second homer, a sacrifice fly by Wainwright and an RBI single from Tommy Edman.
The Cardinals have won 10 of 13 since the All-Star break and have won seven straight in Pittsburgh dating to last season.
