ST. LOUIS — Kolten Wong was sitting on a fastball, hoping for extra bases to get something going in the ninth inning.

The rookie downplayed his power after giving the St. Louis Cardinals their second straight game-winning, ninth-inning home run on a two-out, full-count drive that soared well beyond the right field wall.

“I’m definitely not the kind of guy to hit a home run,” Wong said after the 5-4 victory stunned the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. “Usually, I’m always that guy there getting ready to jump on someone coming home.

“For me to be switches places with someone, that was awesome.”

A night earlier, Wong was part of the joyous celebration at the plate after Matt Adams hit his first career game-winning homer. He was just about to douse “Big City” with two cups of water before catcher Yadier Molina tackled him.

This time, it was Wong getting mobbed. He said his last game-winning homer came in college at Hawaii against Louisiana Tech.

“It was a little scary, I saw those big guys and I didn’t know if I was going to get beat up or what,” Wong said. “It was awesome, seeing those guys and how excited they were. This is a huge win for us.”

Ernesto Frieri (1-1) got two routine outs before Wong, batting eighth, hit his third homer on a full count.

“I give him credit,” Frieri said. “That was a really good at-bat. I didn’t want to walk him, I don’t want to put the winning run on base.”

The drive over the right-field wall was estimated at 420 feet. On Monday night, Matt hit his first winner off Justin Wilson in a 2-0 victory.

“It’s not the first time we’ve had two tough losses and it probably isn’t going to be the last time this year,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “That’s what makes the season so interesting.

“Great crowd, exciting games, one swing of the bat at the end changed the game, and shower up and get ready to play again tomorrow.”

The Cardinals last had consecutive game-winning homers when Albert Pujols twice beat the Cubs on June 4 and 5, 2011. They have four game-winners this season overall.

Wong also gave the Cardinals the early lead with a two-run double in the second.

Trevor Rosenthal (1-4) struck out Starling Marte on three pitches with two on to end the ninth.

Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen hit two-run homers off Carlos Martinez, in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, and McCutchen’s 14th of the season put them up 4-2. Alvarez has 100 career homers with 14 homers and 47 RBIs against St. Louis, most of any opponent.

Matt Holliday had been 2 for 14 on the homestand before tying it with a two-run double off Vance Worley in the fifth. He batted second the previous 14 games while battling a slump and manager Mike Matheny put him back in his usual third slot Wednesday with Jon Jay batting second to give the top of the lineup more flexibility to bunt and hit and run.

Holliday took a called third strike and bounced out before the double for his first multi-RBI game since June 15.

Martinez allowed four runs in six innings, the longest of his five starts this season. Worley lasted five innings, the shortest of his five starts this season with Pittsburgh, and the four runs was the most he’s allowed.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After beating the team he grew up rooting for with his first career game-winning hit, Matt Adams couldn’t resist a celebratory fist pump just a few steps out of the batter’s box.

“This is unbelievable,” Adams said after his two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series with the NL Central rival they beat in the division series last fall. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Adams is from Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, and starred at Slippery Rock College, but the Pirates never showed any interest. He joked that the only people in western Pennsylvania that were happy were “probably a handful of family members.”

“I don’t think I touched the dirt the whole way around (the bases),” Adams said.

Matt Carpenter drew his third walk leading off the ninth and Matt Holliday flied out before Adams hit his 10th homer on an 0-1 hanging breaking ball from Justin Wilson (2-1). It was the Cardinals’ first game-winning homer since Skip Schumaker connected against the Kansas City Royals on June 19, 2011.

“As soon as I made contact I knew it was gone,” Adams said. “It felt good off the bat.”

Adams entered the game batting just .190 against lefties but has been the Cardinals’ top threat lately with six hits the last two games. He foiled the Pirates’ shift in the first lining an opposite field double to left.

“He’s a dad-gum good hitter, man,” Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright said. “I think we’re just breaking the ice of the surface of what this guy can do.”

Wilson said simply: “Bad pitch, good hitting. Probably the worst time to hang a breaking ball there.”

Wainwright, the Cardinals’ 11-game winner, scattered seven hits in seven scoreless innings without consistent location on his fastball.

“I felt like I had the command of an A-ball pitcher,” Wainwright said. “I should be good for the next start, I got plenty of work out of the stretch.”

Pat Neshek (3-0) worked a perfect ninth against the top of the order for St. Louis.

The game lasted 2 hours and 37 minutes but was extended by two rain delays totaling 58 minutes.

Morton remained 2-10 for his career against the Cardinals although he reduced his ERA to 5.58. He was lifted in the eighth when the Pirates loaded the bases with two outs. Sam Freeman struck out rookie pinch-hitter Gregory Polanco.

“It might not be logical to you, it was kind of logical to me,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “I thought our better opportunity was to send somebody up other than Charlie.”

The Cardinals squandered a chance in the eighth when Jon Jay was doubled off second after pinch-hitter Oscar Taveras lined out to right.

The Pirates had runners in scoring position five times against Wainwright, who has thrown 14 2/3 scoreless innings his last two outings. He was particularly tough on fellow Al-Star Andrew McCutchen, who tapped out to end the fifth to waste Starling Marte’s triple and flied out with two on to end the seventh.

Right fielder Josh Harrison, chosen by Cardinals manager Mike Matheny as an All-Star reserve on Sunday, made an outstanding diving catch to rob Jhonny Peralta of a hit in the second.

Rain — or the threat of it — was a dominant factor early with the grounds crew ever on alert. The start was delayed 47 minutes with the tarp down in anticipation of a storm and ominous clouds looming but no precipitation,

It was halted 11 minutes by heavy rain after the Pirates stranded two in the first. Some Pittsburgh players began running off the field when a second brief storm hit just before the game resumed and crew chief Joe West appeared ready to call another halt before dropping his arms and retreating to first base.

Plate umpire Alan Porter made a rarely seen call in the first after Russell Martin was plunked in the arm, ruling that Martin hadn’t made an attempt to get out of the way. Instead of loading the bases with two outs, the pitch was simply ball three for a full count and Martin flied out.

— Associated Press —