Wainwright Shuts Down The Pirates Once Again

PITTSBURGH — Adam Wainwright is waiting for longtime St. Louis Cardinals teammate Yadier Molina to start pressuring him to return in 2022. Given the way the veteran right-hander is dealing at the moment, the line behind Molina in the St. Louis clubhouse to convince Wainwright to come back for a 17th season figures to be long. Really long. Forgive the Pittsburgh Pirates if they don’t join in. Wainwright’s final start of his 30s was another in a seemingly endless string of masterpieces against the Pirates. Two days before turning 40, Wainwright allowed three hits over seven innings in a 13-0 win on Saturday night. Wainwright (13-7) struck out five and walked just one to improve to 4-0 with a 0.30 ERA against the Pirates this season. He is unbeaten against Pittsburgh in his last 17 starts dating to 2016. Maybe, but not the Pirates, who were confounded by Wainwright for a third time in 17 days. He tossed a complete-game two-hit shutout at PNC Park on Aug. 11, followed it up with eight scoreless innings in St. Louis last Sunday and came back with another brilliantly efficient performance as the Cardinals won their second straight as they try to stay on the fringe of the NL playoff race.