Jones Fans Nine as Pirates Blank Cardinals, Match Season-Best Streak

Jared Jones took a perfect game into the sixth and struck out nine over seven innings as Pittsburgh beat St. Louis 2-0 for a fifth straight win.

Jared Jones carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and struck out nine over seven frames as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 on Tuesday night at PNC Park. The win was Pittsburgh's fifth in a row, matching the team's longest streak of the season.

Jones surrendered only one baserunner, a Nathan Church double in the sixth, while walking none on 86 pitches. Ryan O'Hearn broke a scoreless tie with a two-out RBI single in the sixth, and the Pirates added an insurance run in the seventh when Spencer Horwitz scored on a Cade Winquest wild pitch.

Luke Weaver handled a clean eighth inning before Gregory Soto closed it out for his 16th save. The shutout was Pittsburgh's 12th of the year.

Jones became just the fourth Pirates pitcher since 1901 to record at least eight strikeouts with two or fewer walks in four consecutive starts, joining J.A. Happ, Mitch Keller and Paul Skenes. He is now 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in four September outings.

Bryan Reynolds doubled for his MLB-leading 40th of the season, making him the first Pirate with 40 doubles since Nate McLouth in 2008. The Pirates also reinstated reliever Kirby Yates from the injured list and designated Camilo Doval for assignment.

Pittsburgh plans a bullpen game for its penultimate home contest, with St. Louis starting Matthew Liberatore. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and 93.7 The Fan.