EditorsNote: update 3: adds "complete-game" in lede; adds details in second graf
Miles Mikolas threw the St. Louis Cardinals' first complete-game shutout of the season on Monday night, when the right-hander scattered eight hits to lead the Cardinals to a 7-0 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.
The Cardinals, who have won three straight, have thrown four shutouts this year, three of them started by Mikolas. The Pirates have lost four in a row.
Mikolas (6-9), who entered Monday with the seventh-highest ERA (4.53) among qualified NL starting pitchers, walked none and struck out three. He needed just 100 pitches to complete the shutout, including 22 to retire the final six batters in order.
The Pirates got five runners into scoring position against Mikolas, who induced three double plays. Pittsburgh mounted its biggest threat in the sixth, when it had runners on the corners with one out before Mikolas got Starling Marte to hit into a double play.
The shutout was the 17th in the majors this season and the first for the Cardinals since Mikolas blanked the Kansas City Royals on May 21, 2018.
Paul Goldschmidt scored the Cardinals' first run when he scored from first on an error by Pirates left fielder Corey Dickerson in the first inning. Goldschmidt added an RBI double in the third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Dexter Fowler.
Tyler O'Neill provided Mikolas plenty of insurance with a pair of two-run homers in the fifth and seventh innings. It was the first two-homer game of O'Neill's big league career.
O'Neill finished with three hits -- his first three-hit game since last Aug. 3. He entered Monday with just five multi-hit games this season.
Bryan Reynolds had three hits for the Pirates.
Joe Musgrove (6-8) took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out seven over 4 2/3 innings.
--Field Level Media
