Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer, his fourth in four games, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 Tuesday night.

Tommy Edman added three singles and drove in two runs for St. Louis. which returned home after dropping three straight at the Padres to win its fourth consecutive game this season against Pittsburgh.

Arenado hit his 10th homer in the first inning. With two outs, Arenado sent a 2-0 pitch into the left-field seats to score Dylan Carlson, who drew a walk.

St. Louis went ahead 4-0 in the second on a two-out bloop single against the shift to shallow left by Edman, scoring Harrison Bader and Edmundo Sosa, who drove in a run in the third on a two-out double. It was the first RBI of the season for Sosa, who is playing in place of regular starter Paul DeJong, who is on the Injured List.

Pittsburgh scored twice in the fifth on a fielder's choice and single by Erik Gonzalez, cutting the St. Louis lead to 5-2.

John Gant (3-3) threw 5 1/3 innings to earn the win. He allowed two runs and five hits.

Alex Reyes pitched the ninth to record his 12th save in 12 chances.

Brubaker (3-3), who had been charged with two earned runs or fewer in six of his first seven starts, gave up five runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Trevor Cahill (1-4, 5.97) is to start Wednesday's series finale game for the Pirates against RHP Jack Flaherty (7-0, 2.47). Flaherty blanked the Brewers over six innings last Thursday's for his major league-leading seventh win.