PITTSBURGH -- Adam Wainwright has had his moments as a pitcher. On Friday, he got to experience a different career highlight.

Wainwright and Matt Adams hit back-to-back doubles and Brandon Moss slugged a three-run homer to key a six-run 12th inning as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-3.

"Other than winning the World Series, this ranks right up there with the best moments of my career," Wainwright said. "This was really special. The Pirates are a tough team to beat, especially in that ballpark. I'm like a kid in the candy store anytime I get to hit, but this was really special because the game was on the line.

"If you're a competitor, you want to be in that situation, even if you're a pitcher who's never had a hit in his career."

Wainwright might have been exaggerating a tad; it was his sixth extra-base hit this season.

The Cardinals had lost five of their first six games against the National League Central rival Pirates this season and 22 of their previous 31 games at PNC Park.

This one was a game that might have cost the Pirates something beyond a loss as two regulars left with injuries.

Pittsburgh right-hander and No. 1 starter Gerrit Cole left after facing one batter in the third inning. That batter, Matt Carpenter, singled to give St. Louis its second hit. Cole then summoned a trainer and manager Clint Hurdle for a conference on the mound.

Cole, who threw 35 pitches, had tightness in his right triceps. He is expected to be further examined Saturday. He said he was all right after the second inning, but sitting while St. Louis batted produced the tightness.

"I went back out for the third and it just didn't respond well going back out there," Cole said. "It's tough (to come out). I gave it everything I had. The third inning, it just wasn’t right."

In the fourth, Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli departed with left hand pain. Batting with one out, he summoned a trainer after taking a big cut on a missed pitch.

"It put us in a bind, but I thought we responded very well," Hurdle said. "I don't think you could have ever wanted to get a bigger effort than you got from A.J. Schugel to follow up and put us in the position to be able to get through the seventh.

"You lose two key players, you move on."

Schugel relieved Cole and pitched four no-hit innings with four strikeouts.

"It's something I've never had to do before," Schugel said of the situation. "When my name's called, I just try to be ready and do what I can to help out.

"It was different. Getting warm out there, it's a little different feeling. Tried to take my time, take some breaths and not try to rush it. It worked out well."

St. Louis starter Michael Wacha allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings.

"He pitched well and stayed in the game long enough that he gave himself a chance to get a win," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Wish we could have got him one, but he can walk away from this start feeling good. He had really good stuff tonight."

Jonathan Broxton (1-0) allowed a hit and struck out one in two innings.

In the St. Louis 12th, Juan Nicasio (5-5) struck out the first two batters before Carpenter walked and Aledmys Diaz was intentionally walked.

Wainwright doubled to center, driving in Carpenter and Diaz. Adams followed with a double off of the right-field wall, bringing home Carlos Martinez, pinch-running for Wainwright.

Hurdle said he agonized over whether to pitch to Diaz, but his counterpart said there really was no choice.

"Yes, it's the move you have to make in that situation," Matheny said.

Wainwright seconded the idea.

"The odds are that Alemdys Diaz probably has a better chance to get a hit than me. Actually, Aledmys Diaz does have a better chance to get a hit than me," he said.

Jhonny Peralta followed with an infield single and Brandon Moss hit a three-run homer to make it 9-3.

The Pirates scratched out a run in the second. After back-to-back singles by Starling Marte and Cervelli, Marte scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Josh Harrison.

In the fifth, John Jaso drove in Jordy Mercer with a single to increase Pittsburgh's lead to 2-0.

That was it for the scoring until the eighth, when Neftali Feliz relieved Schugel. Carpenter, with a first-pitch home run inside the right-field foul pole, drove in Eric Fryer, who singled to right, and pinch-hitter Greg Garcia, who walked for a 3-2 St. Louis lead.

It was Carpenter's second go-ahead homer in the eighth or later this season, and both have come against Pittsburgh.

The Pirates weren't done, however. Marte led off the ninth with a triple to the right-field corner and scored on Mercer's bloop single to tie it at 3 and send it to extra innings.

NOTES: St. Louis rested right-handed hitters C Yadier Molina, RF Stephen Piscotty and CF Randal Grichuk from its starting lineup against Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole. ... 2B Matt Carpenter, who jammed his hand Thursday at Cincinnati, started for the Cardinals. ... St. Louis 3B Jhonny Peralta started for the third time in four days since coming off the disabled list. ... Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle made RHP Juan Nicasio available out of the bullpen even though he is listed as the starter Tuesday in New York. Hurdle's bullpen has been pushed to the limit this week in part because of a doubleheader, extra-inning contest and a makeup game on what would have been a day off. ... LHP Jeff Locke is scheduled to face the Mets on Wednesday and Cole on Thursday for Pittsburgh. ... The Pirates landed in Pittsburgh at 12:37 a.m. Friday after a one-game trip to Colorado.