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PITTSBURGH — Locked in a pitchers' duel that took them to extra innings for a fourth time in 12 games this season, the Cardinals saw their 1-0 lead in the 12th inning evaporate in the bottom half of the frame and eventually saw the Pirates walk off against them in the 13th inning Wednesday at PNC Park.

A bases loaded single that sailed to the left field warning track from Joey Bart with one out in the 13th inning capped a 2-1 extra innings affair that sank the Cardinals in a 2-1 defeat that resulted in a series loss to the Pirates. 

Brought in to pitch the 13th inning, Cardinals reliever Chris Roycroft walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases. Roycroft got a ground ball that forced a ground out at home plate, but his struggles to throw strikes led him to a full count vs. Bart for an at-bat that ended with a sinker left over the middle of the strike zone.

The Cardinals briefly held a lead in the 12th inning after Jordan Walker muscled a 95 mph sinker thrown middle-and-in from Justin Lawrence for a single that leaked into right field and plated the game’s first run. That lead was wiped away with two out in the bottom of the inning on a single from Tommy Pham that came against reliever Steven Matz.

Led by starter Erick Fedde’s six innings and continued, momentarily, by reliever Phil Maton, the Cardinals carried a no-hit bid through 6 2/3 innings before Endy Rodriguez lined a single to right field with two outs in the seventh inning against Maton. The Cardinals had eight pitchers combine in the losing effort.

A Cardinals club that hadn’t been shut out through 11 games this season was held to one run by a Pirates pitching staff led by starter Mitch Keller’s 7 1/3 scoreless innings and six strikeouts. 

Coming into the series finale, the Cardinals (5-7) had scored four or more runs in each of their first 11 games to begin the 2025 season — a run that made them the only club in the majors to do so and put them one shy of the 1954 Cardinals for the franchise record of 12 consecutive games with four or more runs to begin a season. 

Plays at the plate

Throws to home in extra innings from Cardinals right fielder Lars Nootbaar and Pirates left fielder Pham kept the two division rivals tied at zero.

In the top of the 10th inning, Michael Siani was thrown out at home by Pham after a single to left field from Pedro Pages.

Nootbaar prevented the Pirates from walking off with a win in the 11th inning when he threw out Alexander Canario at home for the inning’s second out. Nootbaar was aided by Pages in the play. After Canario slid around Pages, who stood a few feet down the third base line, Pages took a few quick steps to get within arm’s distance of Canario to tag him out.

Before the baseball became free for the sparse afternoon crowd at PNC Park, Thomas Saggese was out at home on a play that began with an infield pop-up Willson Contreras skied in front of home plate. With two outs and runners on first and second base in the eighth inning, Pirates catcher Bart and first baseman Rodriguez collided as Rodriguez, who charged in on the play, and Bart stretched their arms out in their respective attempts to record the out. The collision led the ball to roll out in front of home plate and for Saggese, who was at second base, to sidestep his way to avoid the two Pirates while the ball was ruled in play by home plate umpire Lance Barksdale.

Quick thinking by third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to locate the baseball and pick it up from a few feet in front of the plate positioned Hayes in front of Saggese. Hayes tagged Saggese without much trouble as Saggese lunged forward to try and touch home plate.

Fedde keeps Pirates hitless

In three of his first five innings of work, Fedde walked the Pirate leading off that inning, but he did allow them to advance beyond first base. 

Three times he was aided by double plays. In one of those instances, a replay review went in his favor. Not once did he surrender a hit over that period.

To begin his outing, Fedde walked Jack Suwinski in the first inning but retired the next three batters he faced to end the inning. He retired the Pirates’ side in order in the second inning and worked around a walk to Pham for a scoreless second.

A walk to Bryan Reynolds on a 3-2 sinker that appeared to catch the bottom third of the strike zone began the fourth frame and was followed by a double play on a ground ball. A leadoff walk in the fifth inning to Hayes was negated with three consecutive outs.

Tsung-Che Cheng, a Pirates prospect from Taiwan who made his MLB debut Wednesday, reached base to begin the sixth inning when his ground ball kicked off the glove of third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was positioned on the infield grass. The play was ruled an error.

Cheng stole second base to put a runner at second base as Suwinski struck out, but a Cardinals challenge overturned the play, leading to a double play. A strikeout of Reynolds completed Fedde’s sixth hitless inning and his outing after 88 pitches.

Cards kept quiet by Keller

Aside from a single in the first inning by Brendan Donovan, a single in the second inning by Victor Scott II, and a double from Alec Burleson in the seventh inning, the Cardinals offense stalled vs. Pirates starter Keller, who entered Wednesday with a 3.72 ERA in 72 2/3 innings across 13 career starts against the Cardinals.

Between Scott’s single and Burleson's double, Keller retired 15 Cardinals in order. He recorded four of his five strikeouts over that period.

Scott, who stole second base to give him his fifth of the season, and Burleson were the only Cardinals to reach scoring position while Keller was on the mound for Pittsburgh. On both occasions, the Cardinals struck out to end each inning. 

The Cardinals finally knocked Keller out of the ballgame with one out in the eighth inning but were still held in check.

A one-out single from Saggese and a walk by Masyn Winn signaled the end of the right-hander’s day as Pirates manager Derek Shelton called in Caleb Ferguson from the bullpen. Ferguson kept ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ scoreless by getting Nootbaar to lineout and was helped through Hayes’ heads-up play on Contreras’ infield single that led to a play at the plate.

After Keller's exit, four relievers including Ferguson held the Cardinals to three hits and the lone run in the 12th inning.