Power-hitter Gant pitches Cardinals over Pirates

NATIONAL LEAGUE CARDINALS 5, PIRATES 0

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals pitcher John Gant got a new label from teammate Jose Martinez — power hitter.

Harrison Bader and Gant hit backto-back home runs, Gant pitched into the sixth inning and St. Louis beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 on Thursday night.

“You hit one, you’re lucky,” Martinez said of Gant’s second blast of the season. “You hit a second one, you’re a power hitter.”

The Cardinals have won 17 of 21 and took their 10th consecutive series, their longest series winning streak since 2009, when they also won ten in a row.

“It’s an important thing,” Cardinals Manager Mike Shildt said. “We want to get better as the game goes and we want to get better as the series goes. And if you take care of the series, the rest of it just falls into place.”

Gant (6-5) pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the first and a two-on, no-out jam in the third to win for the third time in his last four tries. He struck out 6 in 52/3 innings and has allowed 1 earned run in his last 122/3 innings.

“It was a great team win, a great series win,” Gant said. “Another series win, and we’re going to try to keep on chugging.”

Pirates starter Joe Musgrove (5-8) opened the game with 21 consecutive strikes, a first in the majors since pitch tracking began in 1988, according to Stats. That control didn’t do him much good, though. He gave up five runs in six innings.

“I came out sharp but I didn’t keep my foot on the gas,” Musgrove

said. “I didn’t keep going. That’s got to be done against a good lineup like that.”

Musgrove’s strike streak ended with a first-pitch ball to Bader in the third, and two pitches later, Bader went deep to left. Gant then homered on a 2-1 pitch, giving St. Louis consecutive home runs for the seventh time this season.

“I’m just trying to make contact and contact was made tonight,” Gant said.

Gant tied Miles Mikolas for most home runs among St. Louis pitchers this season. After starting his career 0 for 30, Gant has homered twice in his last six at-bats. He is the third pitcher in the expansion era to have his first two career hits as home runs.

Shildt said Gant put in a gutty performance.

“He was making pitches,” Shildt said. “He missed a few spots and the guys made some plays, but John’s a really good competitor, he’s a mentally tough guy, so he was really just able to compete with what he had and used all his pitches.”

Martinez singled and scored in the fourth and drove in two more with a single in the fifth to give the Cardinals a 5-0 lead. Martinez has hit safely in 20 of 25 games in August and has 18 multi-RBI games.