Former Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal had his best outing since he was taken out of that role when he knocked off three scoreless innings of relief Saturday, striking out four Pittsburgh Pirates, walking one and allowing just two singles.
In a “must” game, Rosenthal was the third Cardinals pitcher to work in the first three innings and he tied his career longest stint, which he achieved against the Pirates on Aug. 29, 2012. Rosenthal, who had missed nearly two months this year because of shoulder and forearm problems, threw a career-high 52 pitches. But, as the Cardinals came to bat in the fifth, they still trailed the Pirates 3-0.