Paul Goldschmidt, Brendan Donovan homer and Cardinals beat Pirates 4-3

Paul Goldschmidt and Brendan Donovan hit home runs, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

Donovan’s homer off Mitch Keller at the start of the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and extended his hitting streak to eight games. This win marked the Cardinals’ first consecutive victories since May 29.

“When facing a pitcher like Keller, you want to catch the ball more out in front because of his strong, inward-breaking pitches,” Donovan said. “You aim to time it better, and in this park, you never know, but it managed to get out.”

Lance Lynn pitched 4 1/3 innings, ending a streak of four consecutive quality starts by Cardinals pitchers. He allowed three runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out five.

Lynn’s fifth strikeout, which retired Ke’Bryan Hayes in the fifth inning, was his 987th as a Cardinal, moving him past Matt Morris to sixth place in franchise history.

“I left another decent outing unfinished by not getting through the fifth, but the bullpen supported me as they have all year, and the offense pulled through,” Lynn said.

Chris Roycroft (1-0) earned his first major league win, as five Cardinals relievers combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Andrew Kittredge secured his first save.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Roycroft said. “This means the world to me.”

Keller (8-4) allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings, striking out four and walking none. This loss was the Pirates’ third in their last four games. The home runs by Goldschmidt and Donovan were the first Keller had allowed in his last five starts.

“Mitch wasn’t very sharp today,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s been great, but today he left a few pitches in the middle of the plate, and they capitalized with home runs.”