Pirates’ five-game winning streak snapped in loss to Cards

Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas and St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Carlos Martinez on Friday were named the winners of the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Final Vote. He’s been great lately, allowing just three runs in his last five starts.

The right-hander is one of the five players contending for the NL’s All-Star Final Vote.

Moustakas is the seventh Royal at Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Cincinnati.

Locke was done for the evening after the fifth frame.

He was locked in a battle with Pirates starter Jeff Locke until the fifth inning when the offense came around. He is 2-3 against St. Louis in seven career starts. He allowed five hits, struck out five and walked three after giving up two earned runs or fewer in each of his previous five starts.

“In that fifth inning, I didn’t execute my pitches”, Locke said. All-Star Andrew McCutchen kept Pittsburgh from being shut out as he led off the ninth inning with his 11th home run of the year.

Zack Greinke allowed one hit in eight innings, extending his career-high scoreless streak to 35 2-3 innings and lowering his MLB-best ERA to 1.39 in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-0 victory over Philadelphia. “This is a good team we’re playing”. I’m sure the “spirit” of “OT” is with Martinez; but, I feel, he has reached this new plateau on his own merit. Burnett and Francisco Liriano lined up for the next three games of this series, “Gosh …”

Some will question whether Martinez’s and Moustakas’ numbers were deserving of the honor, but that will be the furthest thing from the minds of Cardinals and Royals fans when they tune into the game July 14. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and you can check out all the action on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle did say to Tom Singer and John McGonigal on MLB.com about having Gerrit Cole, A.J.

The under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings between the Cardinals and Pirates, who meet tonight for Game 2 of a four-game series at 7:05PM ET.