Paul DeJong and Lars Nootbaar homered Thursday as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals completed a three-game series sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, holding on for a 7-6 win.

Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt each added an RBI double for the Cardinals.

St. Louis starter Wade LeBlanc allowed three runs and three hits before leaving after two innings because of left elbow pain.

T.J. McFarland (2-0) replaced LeBlanc and pitched a scoreless third. Alex Reyes got his 27th save despite allowing two runs in the ninth.

In the fourth, Cardinals left fielder Dylan Carlson also left because of right wrist soreness.

Colin Moran homered twice and Bryan Reynolds once for the Pirates, who have dropped eight straight.

Pittsburgh starter JT Brubaker (4-12) gave up five runs and five hits in five innings.

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the first. Carlson singled and stole second, and Arenado knocked him home with a double.

In the bottom of the first, Ke'Bryan Hayes doubled and Jacob Stallings walked. Moran launched his fifth homer, to right-center, to push the Pirates ahead 3-1.

The Cardinals regained the lead in the fourth. Matt Carpenter walked in front of DeJong's 16th homer, down the line in left, for a 3-3 tie. An out later, Tommy Edman doubled, and another out later Nootbaar made it 5-3 with a pinch-hit homer to right, the first of his career.

Moran led off the bottom of the fourth with his second homer of the game, also to right-center, to close the gap to 5-4.

St. Louis picked up another run in the sixth against Duane Underwood Jr. Harrison Bader singled with one out. Edman hit a grounder to the mound but was safe on Underwood's throwing error, with Bader going to third. Bader scored on Andrew Knizner's groundout to make it 6-4.

In the ninth, Jose Rondon and Goldschmidt hit back-to-back doubles for a 7-4 edge.

Gregory Polanco reached on Edman's error in right to open the bottom of the ninth. An out later, Reynolds' homer to right, his 20th of the year, closed it to 7-6.

--Field Level Media