Kang hit a drive deep into the bullpens in left-center off rookie Alex Reyes (1-1) for his 17th homer and third in two games. It helped snap the Pirates’ longest skid since dropping 10 straight in 2011. The Cardinals are percentage points ahead of the New York Mets for the second NL wild card, and the Pirates drew within 4 ½ games of St. Louis.

Trevor Williams (1-0) allowed one unearned run in three innings for the win in his major league debut. Tony Watson worked a perfect ninth inning for his 11th save.