Eager to flex the depth of their lineup at full strength and anxious to find the relievers who extend the bullpen’s influence, the Cardinals got both in the sixth inning Monday to turn just another nondescript dud into the biggest comeback of the season. Dylan Carlson, batting eighth, hoisted the Cardinals up from a five-run hole with his three-run homer. But it tied the game only after lefty T. J. McFarland stalled Pittsburgh with a perfect inning of relief.
That combination, backed by the constants the Cardinals have come to count on, pushed them toward a 7-5 victory at Busch Stadium.