Nolan Gorman drove in two runs as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 Friday.

Nolan Arenado went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs for the Cardinals, who won for the third time in four games.

Cardinals starting pitcher Jake Woodford contained the Pirates for 5 1/3 innings. He scattered seven hits, struck out three batters and walked one.

Zack Thompson (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings to earn the victory. Drew VerHagen retired the Pirates in order in the eighth inning, and Giovanny Gallegos earned his first save.

Pirates starting pitcher John Oviedo (1-1) allowed one run on six hits in seven innings. He struck out 10 batters and walked one.

The Pirates loaded the bases in the second inning with one out but failed to score. Jack Suwinski hit a leadoff single and Rodolfo Castro reached on a ground ball to Tommy Edman, who missed his tag attempt on Suwinski.

After Mark Mathias walked with one out, Austin Hedges grounded into a double play.

Pittsburgh threatened again in the fourth inning when Canaan Smith-Njigba hit a single, stole second base and tried to score on Mathias' single, but right fielder Alec Burleson threw him out at the plate.

In the bottom of the fourth, Paul Goldschmidt drew a leadoff walk and raced to third on Arenado's single. But Oviedo struck out Willson Contreras and Gorman and retired Tyler O'Neill on a flyout.

Hedges hit a leadoff double in the fifth inning, but O'Neill made a diving catch in left field to rob Andrew McCutchen of a run-scoring double.

The Cardinals broke the scoreless tie in the sixth inning. Arenado hit a single, advanced to second base on a groundout and scored on Gorman's single to center field.

St. Louis tacked on against the Pittsburgh bullpen in the eighth inning. Burleson hit a leadoff single against Duane Underwood Jr. then Arenado drew a one-out walk.

Contreras broke a 0-for-22 slump with an RBI single in the eighth and Gorman drove in another run to make it 3-0.

--Field Level Media