Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates edge St. Louis Cardinals in extras

PITTSBURGH -- Gregory Polanco lined a game-winning single to right field to cap off Pittsburgh's three-run rally in the 10th against ace closer Trevor Rosenthal and the Pirates won their second dramatic game against the St. Louis Cardinals in as many nights, 6-5 on Sunday.

Randal Grichuk's two-run double broke a tie in the 10th inning and put the sliding Cardinals in position to split the four-game series, but the Pirates scored all three runs against Rosenthal (1-3) with two outs.

Third baseman Jung Ho Kang followed left fielder Starling Marte with an RBI single ahead of Francisco Cervelli's tying single to right. Polanco then won it with a line shot to right, his first career walk-off hit. Polanco had two RBIs in the game.

The Pirates trimmed the Cardinals' NL Central lead to 2 1/2 games only two weeks after they were down by nine games on June 28, and they followed up their dramatic, comeback-filled 6-5, 14-inning win Saturday on center fielder Andrew McCutchen's walk-off two-run homer.

Pittsburgh has won eight of nine and 11 of 13, while the Cardinals are a major league-best 56-33 but have dropped five of seven.

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina's RBI grounder tied it in the eighth against right-hander Tony Watson, and Grichuk's two-run double appeared to put them in position to win with Rosenthal coming on. He has 26 saves in 28 opportunities.

But the Pirates pulled it off for the second night in a row, and they go into the break with a major league best 40-19 record since May 9.

The Cardinals, 5-0 previously in Sunday night games, took a 1-0 lead against Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano in the second on three singles, a walk and a double-play grounder. However, in the bottom of the second, the back part of the Pirates' batting order produced a two-run rally against Cardinals rookie left-hander Tim Cooney, making his fourth career start.

Catcher Francisco Cervelli had a one-out triple to center -- only his third triple in the past five seasons. After first baseman Sean Rodriguez was retired on a short fly to right, Polanco was intentionally walked. Liriano, batting only .057, crossed up the Cardinals with a long single to the right field wall, scoring both runners. Liriano previously had three RBIs in his 10-season career.

National League All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta tied the score at 2 in the third with his 13th homer, a drive into the left-center seats on a 3-2 count.

The bottom end of the Pirates' order came through again in the fourth. Rodriguez doubled to right with one out, and Polanco -- batting only .114 with two RBIs in 44 at-bats this season against left-handers -- lashed an RBI single to right, giving Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead.

NOTES: RHPs Lance Lynn and John Lackey will start the first two games of the Cardinals' series against the New York Mets next weekend. Manager Mike Matheny might hold back All-Star RHPs Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha -- both on pace to throw 200 innings -- until the Chicago White Sox series that begins July 21. ... Coming off a 14-inning game in which they used six relievers, the Pirates recalled RHP Wilfredo Boscan from Triple-A Indianapolis for the second time this season. He didn't appear in a game while with them from May 16-18. UT Steve Lombardozzi was optioned to Triple-A. ... Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong was back in the lineup after being lifted due to a tight hamstring in the 11th inning Saturday night. ... Pirates RHP A.J. Burnett, headed to his first All-Star Game at age 38, plans to wear black-and-gold cleats with a Batman-like theme Tuesday night in Cincinnati.