Gorman, Burleson and Walker drive in 3 runs apiece to lead Cardinals over Pirates 11-7

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nolan Gorman homered and drove in three runs and Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker drove in three runs apiece to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to an 11-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera, the top two hitters in the Cardinals’ batting order, scored three runs each. Burleson, Walker and Masyn Winn each finished with two hits.

Gorman opened the scoring with a homer leading off the second, his fourth of the season. Victor Scott II started a two-run second with his first home run of the season before Wetherholt doubled and scored a single by Walker.

The Cardinals extended their lead to 6-0 in the fifth when Burleson doubled in a run and Walker and Gorman followed with consecutive sacrifice fly balls.

Kyle Leahy (3-3) allowed three runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts. The Pirates scored all three runs in the sixth on homers by Oneil Cruz and a two-run shot by Ryan O’Hearn, cutting their deficit to 6-3.

The Cardinals broke the game open with three runs in the seventh inning and two in the eighth.

The Cardinals have won the first two games of the four-game series after entering on a four-game losing streak. The Pirates have lost three in a row for the first time this season.

Braxton Ashcraft (1-2) was rocked for six runs in 4 1/3 innings after being activated from the bereavement/family medical emergency list before the game. He allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked three.

Pirates rookie Konnor Griffin hit a solo homer in the ninth inning. O’Hearn had two hits and three RBIs and Nick Gonzales had two hits and knocked in two runs.

Cardinals RHP Andre Pallante (2-2, 4.26 ERA) starts on Wednesday night against rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (1-2, 4.88).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Hunter Barco delivers during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off pitcher Kyle Leahy during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker singles off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, driving in a run, during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson (41) slides safely past the tag attempt by Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Nolan Gorman off Pirates pitcher Hunter Barco during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson doubles off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Hunter Barco, driving in two runs during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will play Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 of the teams' first-round playoff series.

McDavid, who led the NHL in points this season, did not participate in the team's morning skate ahead of a must-win game for Edmonton and was a game-time decision, according to coach Kris Knoblauch.

The 29-year-old McDavid has looked uncomfortable at times since rolling his ankle in the second period of Game 2 when he collided with teammate Mattias Ekholm.

The Oilers are trying to avoid elimination and rally from a 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series. Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup final in each of the last two seasons before losing to the two-time champion Florida Panthers.

Edmonton forward/center Jason Dickinson, also a game-time decision, was also in the lineup released shortly before gametime.

Knoblauch said earlier Tuesday that Connor Ingram would start in net after Tristan Jarry started in Game 4.

McDavid, who led the league with 138 points, scored his first goal in Game 3 and had his first multi-point games in the third and fourth games of the series in Anaheim. McDavid didn’t participate in Saturday’s off-day skate in Anaheim.

McDavid was nominated Tuesday for the Ted Lindsay Award, along with San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. The award is for the league’s “most outstanding player” as voted by NHL players. McDavid is a four-time winner.

Ingram returns to the Edmonton net on Tuesday after Jarry made 34 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 4. Ingram started the first three games of the series. He earned a 4-3 victory in Game 1 before allowing 11 goals in consecutive losses behind a leaky Edmonton defense.

“Nothing against Jarry,” Knoblauch said early Tuesday. “I thought he had a solid game the other night, but going down this last few weeks or months, Ingram’s been our starter. He’s been our guy. Now that our season’s on the line, we felt that we would go with our guy.”

Dickinson sat out the second and third games of the series due to injury. He scored twice in Edmonton’s win in the opener and assisted on the Oilers’ first goal in the Game 4 loss.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, center, tries to get a shot past Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, left, as defenseman Jackson LaCombe defends during the second period of Game 3 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Anaheim Ducks' Mason McTavish (23) defends against Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) during the second period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, right, shoots as Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Carlson, left, defends during the second period of Game 4 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)