Gray dominates, Cardinals sweep Pirates to get back to .500

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Sonny Gray pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the slumping Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 on Wednesday for their fifth straight victory.

Gray (4-1) struck out eight and walked one in his first win since April 14. The right-hander went 0-1 with a 5.51 ERA in his previous three starts.

The Cardinals returned to .500 at 18-18, including a 15-6 record at home. They are 4-2 against the Pirates this year after finishing a three-game sweep.

Masyn Winn hit two RBI doubles. Lars Nootbaar had three hits, and Victor Scott II scored all the way from first twice.

The Pirates (12-26) were shut out for the eighth time. They have lost seven in a row and 10 of 11 overall.