Pirates starter Francisco Liriano departed after 6 1/3 innings with a 3-2 lead, arranged mostly on his own two-run single in the second off Tim Cooney, the Cardinals' rookie lefty who went five innings.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Jhonny be good: Prior to Sunday's game, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny compared Jhonny Peralta to Carlos Beltran -- both are as steady as they come. And Peralta, a hot hitter through the first half of the season, built on his consistency at the plate with a solo home run to left-center field in the top of the third inning.