And they did. Wainwright, making his final regular-season start and, perhaps, final start this season, was touched for six runs in 4 2/3 innings of a 7-5 Pittsburgh win, which snapped Wainwright’s string of victories at 10 against the Pirates since 2016. He finished his regular season at 11-12.
Wainwright, Molina and Pujols all were lifted from the game with Wainwright on the mound and two outs in the Pittsburgh fifth. In so doing, Pujols was allowed to finish his Busch Stadium regular-season career with a home run, his 702nd of his career and 23rd of the season.