Pirates in baseball: Alec Burleson homers as Cardinals earn split with Phillies

by | May 15, 2025

Alec Burleson was back in the lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. He made the most of his at-bats, too.

After striking out as a pinch-hitter in the first game, a 2-1 loss, the East Carolina baseball alum started in right field in Game 2 against the Phillies. He went 3-for-5 with a run and four RBI in a 14-7 Cardinals’ win.

Burleson’s third homer of the season came in the third inning and was a two-run blast that gave the Cardinals a 6-5 lead. In the fourth inning, he singled with the bases loaded to drive in two runs to extend the lead to 9-6.

He also singled in the ninth. His four RBIs gave him 15 for the season. He raised his batting average to .274.

Gavin Williams

The hard-luck pitcher came away with another good performance but no victory to show for it.

Williams started and went five innings, giving up two runs on four hits — one a solo homer in the fifth — with six strikeouts and a walk. He left with the game tied 2-2.

The Guardians’ bullpen then gave up seven runs, including three in the sixth inning.

In his last three games, he’s 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in 14 innings. He’s pitched five innings in the last two games and has given up 15 hits, four runs, 10 walks and 23 strikeouts.

See below to find out what the rest of the Pirates in baseball did on Wednesday.

Major League Baseball

  • Connor Norby, Miami Marlins: 0-for-4 in 3-1 win over Cubs
  • Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals: See above
  • Shawn Armstrong, Texas Rangers: Did not pitch in 8-3 win over Rockies
  • Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians: See above
  • Jeff Hoffman, Toronto Blue Jays: Did not pitch in 3-1 win over the Rays.
  • Zach Agnos, Colorado Rockies: Did not pitch in 8-3 loss to Rangers
  • Clayton McCullough, Miami Marlins (manager): Beat the Cubs 3-1 to improve to 16-26 on the season

Triple-A

  • Carson Whisenhunt, Sacramento RiverCats (San Francisco Giants): Did not pitch in 6-2 win over Salt Lake.

Double-A

  • Carter Spivey, Akron Rubber Ducks (Guardians): Pitched in the second game of a doubleheader. Akron won 7-5 over Chesapeake in the first game and 6-1 in the second game. Spivey pitched the final two innings, giving up two hits and a run while walking two and striking out one. His ERA is now at 3.75. 
  • Trey Benton, Akron Rubber Ducks (Guardians): On season-ending disabled list

Single-A

  • Trey Yesavage, Dunedin Blue Jays (Blue Jays): Did not pitch in 6-3 loss to Bradenton
  • Carter Cunningham, Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays): Did not play in 5-0 loss to Everett
  • Josh Moylan, Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees): Rained out vs. Aberdeen. Will play doubleheader on Thursday
  • Josh Grosz, Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees): Rained out vs. Aberdeen. Will play doubleheader on Thursday
  • Tyler Bradt, Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals): Did not pitch in 7-6 win in 10 innings over Cedar Rapids
  • Jacob-Jenkins-Cowart, Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins): 0-for-4 with RBI in 12-7 win over Wisconsin, his first game since being promoted from Low-A Jupiter.
  • Ryan McCrystal, Daytona Tortugas (Reds): 0-for-3 with a walk in 2-1 loss to St. Lucie
  • Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman, Modesto Nuts (Mariners): Placed on full-season disabled list on April 15.
  • Erik Ritchie, Clearwater Threshers (Phillies): Did not pitch in 2-1 loss to Lakeland

Frontier League

  • Danny Beal, Down East Bird Dawgs (Independent): Did not pitch in 8-3 loss to New Jersey Jackals

Photo credit: Alec Burleson (AP photo)

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