Righthander Carlos Martinez retired 13 men in succession after allowing two singles to lead off the Pittsburgh second Friday night.
In that time, the ball left the infield only once as Martinez struck out six hitters and got another five on groundouts. He had entered the game as the league co-leader in ground-ball percentage with teammate Jaime Garcia at 57.9.
The Cardinals continued to hold a 1-0 lead into the home sixth. In the Pirates' sixth, Martinez, after issuing his first walk to Gregory Polanco and allowing a single to Andrew McCutchen, struck out Jung Ho Kang on a slider and retired John Jaso on a grounder to first.