The St. Louis Cardinals continue to hover around a National League wild card spot. A win on Friday night helped them continue their quest for one of the two spots. The team was able to pick up two runs in the top of the ninth and defeat the Pittsburgh pirates 4-3. The Cards' Dexter Fowler was the game's hero by delivering when it mattered most for St. Louis. Here's the latest Cardinals vs. Pirates game recap with top players, box score stats, an MLB standings update, and what's next on the schedule for these teams.

Game recap

The St. Louis Cardinals took an early lead in tonight's game 1-0 in the first inning after Dexter Fowler smacked a single to shallow center, scoring Matt Carpenter.

In the second inning, the Cards added another run thanks to Wacha's bunt into a fielder's choice to left field. That allowed DeJong to score, making it 2-0 in favor of the visiting Cardinals.

However, the Pittsburgh Pirates answered back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Freese hit a double to deep center which scored Marte and moved Bell to third. A batter later, Polanco grounded into the fielder's choice while Bell was able to score. The game was tied 2-2 for two more innings until Pittsburgh added a run in the seventh behind Jaso grounding into a fielder's choice and Moroff scoring.

At the top of the ninth inning, the Cardinals jumped back ahead with the game-winning run. Jedd Gyorko hit a single to center to score Harrison Bader, making it a 3-3 game.

Two batters later, Dexter Fowler was safe at first base due to an error by shortstop Jordy Mercer. That allowed Randal Grichuck to score a run, putting St. Louis ahead 5-4.

With Juan Nicosia pitching in the bottom of the ninth, he was able to prevent the Pirates from scoring the tying or winning run, and the Cards escaped with a big victory to stay alive in the Wild Card race for NL teams.

Nicasio picked up the win to go to 5-5 for the season, while Pittsburgh's Felipe Rivero (5-3) took the loss.

Standings & what's next

The St. Louis Cardinals have improved their record to 39-40 away from home and 81-72 overall for the season. Their right in the thick of the Wild Card chase as they're one game behind the Colorado Rockies for the second of two spots.

Next up, St. Louis takes on the Pirates again on Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. Eastern Time start. Lance Lynn (11-7, 3.09 ERA) will make the start.

The Pittsburgh Pirates won't be among this postseason's contending teams. They're currently sitting at 69-85 overall and 40-37 for their home record. The Pirates will send right-hander Gerrit Cole (11-11, 4.13 ERA) to the mound for Saturday's game against St. Louis.