PITTSBURGH — The Cardinals scored their first six runs of the game on a pair of home runs, including a grand slam from recently struggling slugger Nolan Gorman, and held off a push from the Pittsburgh Pirates to start their road trip with a win.

Alec Burleson and Gorman bashed home runs to give the Cardinals a six-run lead after four innings, and they withstood a fifth-inning rally to secure a 7-4 win against their NL Central Division rivals in the first game of a three-game series at PNC Park on Tuesday night.

Gorman went 2 for 4 with four RBIs, while Burleson went 2 for 5 with two RBIs as the Cardinals improved to 44-40.

Left fielder Brendan Donovan went 3 for 4 with a walk and an RBI, and he has raised his batting average to .270 for the season. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt (2 for 5) also had a multi-hit game with a pair of doubles and a run scored.

Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson struck out eight in five innings, including five of the first six outs he recorded, in the win. He ran into a speed bump in the fifth inning, and he gave up four runs on two home runs.

The teams combined to hit four home runs in the game.

Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth inning and earned his MLB-leading 31st save of the season, his 31st consecutive converted save chance.

Helsley broke a tie with Lee Smith and set a franchise record for the most saves before the All-Star break. Smith, a Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, recorded 30 saves before the break in 1993.

Cardinals get Keller second time through

Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller (9-5) entered the day among the NL leaders in wins (nine, tied for third), innings (98 1/3, tied for eighth) and home runs per 9 innings (0.73, ninth).

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