Cardinals Defeat Pirates 7-4 in Series Opener

Nolan Gorman's grand slam powered the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of their three-game series. Gorman's slam came in the fourth inning after Matt Carpenter loaded the bases with a single, marking Gorman's 17th home run of the season. Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson struck out eight but allowed four runs in the fifth inning, including home runs by Jack Suwinski and Andrew McCutchen. Ryan Helsley secured his 31st save with a perfect ninth inning. Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson also contributed significantly to the Cardinals' offense, with Donovan going 3-for-4 with an RBI and Burleson hitting a two-run homer. Pirates' starter Mitch Keller struggled, surrendering six runs over five innings in his worst outing of the season.