St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - After surviving a 19-inning marathon, the Pittsburgh Pirates placed ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals on the scoreboard, 6-3, and in the standings.

Pedro Alvarez crushed a 1-2 slider over the center-field fence for a solo homer in the 19th to give the Pirates the win and put them two games ahead of St. Louis for the second wild card in the National League.

Barret Browning (1-3), who picked up his first career win on Saturday, took the loss after allowing the home run with one out in the top of the 19th.

The Sports Network