PITTSBURGH — Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz hit run-scoring singles on consecutive pitches in the 10th inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Wednesday night.

Willson Contreras’ two-run home run in the eighth off Pittsburgh’s Colin Holderman tied the score 3-3.

Alec Burleson put St. Louis ahead with a 10th-inning sacrifice fly off Aroldis Chapman (1-3) after Masyn Winn’s infield single advanced automatic runner Dylan Carlson to third.

With pinch-runner Jared Triolo on second starting the bottom half, Michael A. Taylor struck out while trying to bunt and Andrew McCutchen drew a walk from Andrew Kittridge (1-4).

JoJo Romero relieved and Reynolds lined a fastball into center to drive in Triolo and advance McCutchen to second. Cruz drove a slider to right and McCutchen scored standing up as the ball bounced to the right-field wall.

“We made a bad pitch to a really good hitter in the eighth and he hit a home run,” Pirates Manager Derek Shelton said. “We just kept going. Our guys just kept playing.”

It was Cruz’s second game-ending hit this season and the third of his career.

“It felt good, for sure, but it was a team effort,” Cruz said. “Everybody played their part in it and that’s why we came back at the end and could win that game.”

BRAVES 3, GIANTS 1 Chris Sale (11-3) allowed only three hits in six innings and struck out nine to earn his 11th win, leading Atlanta to a victory over San Francisco. It is Sale’s most wins since finishing 12-4 in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox.

BREWERS 3, ROCKIES 0 William Contreras and Brice Turang had three hits apiece, Christian Yelich hit his ninth home run of the season and Colin Rea pitched seven shutout innings to lift Milwaukee past Colorado.

NATIONALS 7, METS 5 James Wood singled home the go-ahead run in his third major league game, Luis Garcia Jr. hit two home runs and Washington rallied to beat the New York Mets.

PHILLIES 5, CUBS 3 Edmundo Sosa broke a tie with a short sacrifice fly in the eighth, Whit Merrifield followed with an RBI single and Philadelphia topped the struggling Chicago Cubs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ASTROS 9, BLUE JAYS 2 Jose Altuve hit a tiebreaking single in a four-run seventh inning, Yordan Alvarez homered for the third consecutive game and Houston beat Toronto for their 11th win in 13 games.

ATHLETICS 5, ANGELS 0 Joey Estes (3-3) tossed a complete game, allowing five hits and a walk as Oakland defeated the Los Angeles Angels.

ROYALS 4, RAYS 2 Michael Wacha (5-6) allowed one run on two hits over six innings, Salvador Perez drove in a pair of runs and Kansas City got a spectacular defensive play from Kyle Isbel in the ninth to beat Tampa Bay.

TIGERS 9, TWINS 2 Carson Kelly hit a grand slam and Wenceel Perez followed with a home run to back Keider Montero’s first major league win as Detroit beat Minnesota.

WHITE SOX 8, GUARDIANS 2 Erick Fedde gave up one run in six innings, Martin Maldonado homered and drove in three runs, and the Chicago White Sox routed Cleveland.

INTERLEAGUE

PADRES 6, RANGERS 4 David Peralta hit a tiebreaking, two-run home run in the seventh inning for his first of the season in San Diego’s victory over Texas.

REDS 3, YANKEES 2 Andrew Abbott took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning and reliever Fernando Cruz got Aaron Judge to ground into a pivotal double play, pitching Cincinnati past the struggling New York Yankees.

RED SOX 7, MARLINS 2 Ceddanne Rafaela tripled, doubled and drove in three runs, Brayan Bello limited Miami to a run over 6 2/3 innings and Boston beat Marlins. Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida each had two hits and two RBI to help the Red Sox win their third in a row after a three-game slide.

    San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali (18) talks to San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali (18) after tagging out Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley (27) at home in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  

    Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley (27) looks back after getting tagged out by San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali (18) in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  

    Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley (27) looks back after getting tagged out by San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali (18) in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  

    Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley (27) is congratulated by first base coach Tom Goodwin (88) after hitting a double in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  

    Atlanta Braves’ Marcell Ozuna (20) and Matt Olson (28) celebrate scoring after a double RBI hit by Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley (27) in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  

    Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  

    San Francisco Giants’Jordan Hicks (12) tags out Atlanta Braves’ Jarred Kelenic (24) on first base in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  

    San Francisco Giants pitcher Jordan Hicks (12) delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
  

Russell Wilson was once one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but now, he’s clinging to what may be his last chance as a starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson’s time with the Denver Broncos did serious damage to not only his value on the field but also his reputation off of it. Rumors swirled about him having issues with head coach Sean Payton and other people in the organization, painting a picture of Wilson as a diva. So far in Pittsburgh, he’s been getting rave reviews from his teammates, but when they’re playing real games, will that continue? One former University of Pittsburgh quarterback questions how Wilson will respond to adversity this year.

Max Browne was a quarterback for Pitt during the 2017 college football season. However, he struggled there and suffered a season-ending injury, which just so happened to open the door for then-freshman Kenny Pickett to get some playing time. Now, Browne is working more as an analyst, and in a recent appearance on fellow analyst Guy Haberman’s YouTube channel, he spoke about how his main concern for Wilson is not his play but his mental toughness.

“Take the football out of it, in between the ears, how does Russell lead?” Browne asked. “How does Russell relate to his team? Can Russell sit with this uneasiness that, ‘I’m no longer a top ten quarterback in the NFL?’ How does that work when the Pittsburgh media is on him for being a middling quarterback, and he says, ‘The sun is always shining,’ and we know that’s not true. That’s my biggest question.”

Browne’s question is a fair one if the rumors about Wilson in Denver are to be believed. Suppose Wilson truly is this big personality that is difficult to work with. In that case, the Steelers will have a serious problem because they’ve shown recently that they’re interested in winning, not individual stats. However, none of those fears can be confirmed or denied until the season begins. T

he only things fans have to go on right now are the positive comments Wilson’s new teammates are making about him and the fact that Mike Tomlin has a high opinion of his new quarterback.

Wilson also could have reacted poorly when the Steelers traded for Justin Fields because it created competition for him in the quarterback room. Instead, he’s taken time to try to mentor and support Fields. That doesn’t sound like something a diva would do.

Maybe Wilson is quirky, but so are numerous NFL players. Browne is familiar with the Pittsburgh media from his time at Pitt, so he knows how rowdy the city can get when a player performs poorly. Surviving in this climate is not easy and requires some thick skin.

Time will tell if Wilson can keep his mind at ease under pressure, but Fields is right behind him if he can’t. Neither player is signed past this season, so getting a look at both of them would be ideal. If the team struggles under Wilson, Fields could create a spark to fire up the offense, even if he’s not the full-time starter.

The Steelers know they can’t keep just barely making the playoffs and losing immediately. They don’t want to keep doing that, and the only solution is to finally have a positive asset at quarterback. If they could make the playoffs last year, then nothing should stop them from making it this year.