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Pirates break out bats, end two longs skids in win

Sep 3, 2007 - 10:43 PM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates brought out the lumber to get back on the winning track.

The Pirates banged out 16 hits - including five players with multi-hit games - and Ian Snell won his first road game since April 16 as the Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-0, to break a five game losing streak on Monday.

After a weekend sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis (67-67) had a chance to move two games over the .500 mark for the first time this season. Losing for only the fifth time in their last 20 home games, the Cardinals dropped to 2 1/2 games behind the Central Division leading Chicago Cubs (70-65), who are playing the Los Angeles Dodgers (71-65) this afternoon.

Jack Wilson led the Pittsburgh attack with four hits - tying a career high - and three RBI, including a two-run home run. Ronnie Paulino had three hits and Jose Bautista homered as each contributed two RBI to the onslaught.

"(I've learned) to just go out there and have fun," Wilson said. "Some days you're going to be good, some days you're going to be bad, and some days you're going to be really bad. I try to stay upbeat; it's always nice having a four-hit day, especially if we're going to get the win."

Hot-hitting Freddy Sanchez added three hits and two RBI for Pittsburgh. Last season's National League batting champion increased his average against St. Louis this season to .400 (18-for-45).

"It was one of those games where we were able to find some holes," Sanchez said. "But one game doesn't say much. You have to be consistent with it and, hopefully, we can finish strong this last month."

Snell (9-11), whose last road victory was also against the Cardinals, pitched in and out of trouble over his seven innings. He scattered five hits and five walks, benefiting from three double plays to go with his four strikeouts.

"I pitched OK, I wasn't great," Snell said. "I didn't have my best stuff. You have to give a lot of credit to the defense and offense - all the guys who did a lot more than I did. I just checked in."

Juan Perez pitched a scoreless eighth and Romulo Sanchez blanked the Cardinals in the ninth to give the Pirates their fourth shutout of the season.

Pittsburgh put an end to St. Louis starter Kip Wells' day early, scoring six runs off the former Pirate in the first four innings, sending him to his third straight defeat.

Wells (6-16), who tied Chicago White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras for the most losses in baseball this season with the setback, lasted only 3 1/3 innings, giving up six runs and 10 hits.

"I just missed some spots here and there," Wells said. "I got ahead of guys and made a mistake and they got a hit when I was ahead in the count. They came out swinging and they didn't really stop."

"(Wells) just couldn't stay out of the middle of the plate," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "His pitches were up where guys were teeing off; he made so many mistakes in the middle and up in the middle where guys were teeing off. He definitely didn't give us what we needed."