Cards’ run ends at four games

ST. LOUIS — Shawn Chacon and two relievers combined on a eight-hitter and Ronny Paulino hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

The Pirates prevailed in a low-scoring game involving starters with ERAs of 7.88 (Chacon) and 5.92 (Jeff Weaver) and have won four of five. They have the worst road record in the major leagues at 18-50, but have won three of four on the road.

Weaver (2-4) threw seven solid innings and Aaron Miles had three hits for the Cardinals, who are 6-2 with one game to go on a nine-game homestand. The Cardinals stranded 11 runners.

St. Louis loaded the bases with one out in the eighth against Salomon Torres, making his league-leading 81st appearance. But Torres struck out Ronnie Belliard and pinch hitter Preston Wilson, and then got the last three outs for his first save.

Chacon bounced back from a tough start against the Astros and allowed four hits in five innings. The Cardinals stranded eight runners against Chacon, who had three strikeouts and four walks, leaving two on in the first, second, third and fifth.

Matt Capps (6-1) allowed one hit with a strikeout in two innings. Zach Duke has the only complete game among the Pirates’ seven shutouts.

Weaver, who had been 0-2 with an 8.14 ERA at home, gave up one run on five hits in seven innings with a walk and four strikeouts. The walk to Ryan Doumit, which loaded the bases in the seventh with one out, ended up hurting him.

Weaver allowed only two runners to make it to scoring position before the seventh. Freddy Sanchez led off with a single, Xavier Nady got an infield hit on a dribbler down the third-base line with one out and Doumit walked before Paulino’s sacrifice fly put the Pirates ahead.

The drive to deep right-center had a chance to drop in but right fielder Chris Duncan tracked it down.