PITTSBURGH — On the final day of what could have been the Cardinals’ rise from the muck of the NL Central and surefootedly into the mix, it was their turn to rally.
They could not do for themselves what Pittsburgh did against them.
Pirates closer David Bednar dominated the ninth for the third consecutive game and punctuated a three-game sweep of the Cardinals at PNC Park with a 2-1 victory Sunday. Both of the Pirates’ runs came in the first inning, and the Cardinals – even with eight innings to do so – could not catch up.