 after being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day.Elias Diaz went 3-for-4 with three singles and two RBIs as the Pirates won their fifth straight game and completed a three-game sweep of the Cardinals.Right-hander Luke Weaver (2-2) took the loss after allowing four runs runs on six hits with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He pitched five scoreless before walking the bases loaded with one out in the sixth.Diaz singled down the right-field line, scoring Starling Marte and Josh Bell for a 2-0 lead. Right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks replaced Weaver before Colin Moran extended the Pirates' lead to 3-0 with an RBI single to center that drove in Corey Dickerson from third.Hicks hit Adam Frazier with the bases loaded, giving Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead after six, and David Freese had a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth to make it 5-0.HELLO ROOKIEPittsburgh selected Kingham in the fourth round of the 2010 draft out of Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2015, causing him to miss most of the 2015 and 2016 seasons.In four starts with Indianapolis this season, Kingham was 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA.ROSTER MOVEPirates LHP Enny Romero was designated for assignment to make room for Kingham on the 25-man roster. The Nationals had designated him for assignment this season before the Pirates claimed him off waivers on April 16.TRAINER'S ROOMPirates: Frazier left the game after getting hit by a pitch in the sixth inning. Sean Rodriguez replaced him at second base in the top of the seventh.UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (4-1, 3.62) will attempt to extend his winning streak to five games when he takes the mound against the Chicago White Sox at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. Wacha has won four straight starts since last losing on March 31, when he allowed four runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings against the New York Mets.Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (2-2, 4.91) will try to get back on track when he starts against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Monday. Taillon has surrendered a combined 12 runs in 5 1/3 innings over his past two starts.)
Pirates turn to Kingham in bid to sweep Cardinals 3h ago• 2 min read After years of setbacks worked against right-hander Nick Kingham, circumstances that finally are in his favor have led to him getting a start in his major league debut Sunday for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.Kingham, 26, will be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and make a spot start for Pittsburgh. The rotation became taxed when the Pirates played three games in less than 24 hours Wednesday and Thursday, thanks to a rainout, doubleheader and afternoon game.Manager Clint Hurdle ruled out using a bullpen arm, otherwise Tyler Glasnow might have been called upon.Kingham was a 2010 fourth-round draft pick by the Pirates, the same year as promising young Pittsburgh starter Jameson Taillon. Then came trouble that included Tommy John surgery, a sprained ankle and an exhaustion of minor league options.He was granted a fourth option year this spring and has made the most of it, going 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA with Indianapolis. He has 27 strikeouts and seven walks in 22 2/3 innings."I couldn't be more excited. I couldn't be more prepared, I feel like, to come in and finally pitch at the big-league level," Kingham said Saturday, already in Pittsburgh. "I think the length (of time) it took me to get here has made me who I am, made me even more prepared than I ever would have been. So I'm excited. I'm ready. Let's just do it." Kingham, who is 6 feet 5, 225 pounds, already is on the 40-man roster, another thing that breaks well for him after the delays in his development.Kingham will oppose St. Louis right-hander Luke Weaver (2-1, 4.85 ERA) Sunday.In Weaver, Kingham will be matched against a pitcher who had control issues his last time out.Pittsburgh (16-11) has won four games in a row and will be going for a sweep of its three-game series against the Cardinals (15-11) at PNC Park."We want to win," Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli said after he hit a solo homer and drove in another run Saturday in a 6-2 win. "That's what we want to do. We come here to compete every day and play baseball. We don't come here to just put (on) the uniform. We come here to win." In what became a 6-5 extra-inning St. Louis loss Tuesday to the New York Mets. Weaver walked a career-high six batters. That helped account for giving up four runs on just two hits in 4 2/3 innings.The walks surprised Weaver, who is known for his precision."I don't know what it was -- working too quick, out of breath, not really taking a moment to figure it out," he said. "The game kind of sped up there, and I never found out." Against the Pirates, Weaver is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in three career appearances, two starts, with 14 hits and 13 strikeouts and just two walks -- in 11 1/3 innings.
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