Fryer gets 3 RBIs, Pirates beat Cardinals 5-2

Louis Cardinals looks on as Gregory Polanco No. 25 of the Pittsburgh Pirates crosses home plate after hitting his second home run of the game during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri.

After tying the game at 2-2 in the fifth by poking an RBI single up the middle against a drawn-in infield, Fryer capped a three-run sixth by dumping a two-run double down the right field line. His strikeout ratio is abysmal as well, striking out more times than getting hits with a 84K/74 hit ratio.

“You see how pitchers attack, but in the end, it’s all about execution”, Fryer said. Martinez sailed through the first four innings giving up one hit on 47 pitches.

“Just been throwing strikes, confident in the strike zone and working from there”, Caminero said.

Chen (5-3) tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, spoiling Jose Reyes’ return to the Mets in his first major league game since a 59-day domestic violence suspension.

“I mean, I was amped up to play”, Fryer said. “He caught a bunch of guys he hadn’t caught before, knocked in three runs…it was a really professional effort”.

“I know it has to pull on his heartstrings”, Hurdle said.

With the first-place Chicago Cubs slumping, the door is open for someone to slip back into the National League Central race, and the two top candidates to do so go head to head for four games starting Monday.

Now batting. 197 across 38 games this season, Montero has also managed three home runs and 15 RBI to accompany his.

Fryer said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told him “it’s just one of those things that had to work out this way”.

The Pirates tied the game in the fifth and took the lead in the sixth.

That his latest big game occurred at a rival’s expense wasn’t lost on Polanco, either. He has already pitched 89.2 innings this season at the halfway point and with the timing of this DL trip, he would only be missing 1-2 starts, though he can pitch in rehab in Indianapolis during that time. But Glasnow also walked four or more batters in seven of his 17 starts and walked 4.9 batters per nine innings this year. Lefties Jaime Garcia (6-6, 3.84) and Pittsburgh’s Jeff Locke (8-5, 5.13) match up Wednesday night, while St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright (7-5, 4.70) meets rookie Chad Kuhl (1-0, 4.09) in Thursday’s series finale.

Mike Leake (5-7) gave up five runs on nine hits over six innings to take the loss, while Juan Nicasio (7-6) worked two scoreless frames in relief and got the win.

Brault is making the start in place of right-hander Jameson Taillon, who was placed on the 15-disabled list Monday due to a shoulder injury. C Jacob Stallings was designated for assignment…. With Fryer joining the major league roster, Chris Stewart was placed on the disabled list with left knee discomfort.

The Cardinals got RBIs from Jedd Gyorko and Matt Holliday, and Randal Grichuk was a minor bright spot with a pinch-hit single in the ninth.