Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson gets upended by the Cardinals' Gary Bennett on a double-play attempt yesterday in the third inning at PNC Park. Click photo for larger image. Today Matchup: Brewers (Dave Bush 8-8) at Pirates (Victor Santos 4-7). When: 7:05 p.m. TV/Radio: No TV/KDKA-AM (1020) and the Pirates radio network. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Young relievers rocket through system Scouting Report: Milwaukee Brewers

From the day he was hired as the Pirates' manager, Jim Tracy has pointed to St. Louis as his model for success.

He would preach to his players about the many traits that have made the Cardinals the National League's best team in recent years, from solid starting pitching to opportunistic offense to fundamentals in the field.

The Pirates are not there yet, to be kind.

For one pristine 72-hour span at PNC Park, though, they experienced how it must feel to be that flawless in so many facets.

"This was maybe our finest weekend of the season," Tracy said yesterday after his team blanked St. Louis, 7-0, to wrap up a three-game sweep before 27,101. "Actually, to sweep what has been and still is the No. 1 team, the class of our division, I don't think there's any question it was our finest."

It was the Pirates' third sweep of the season, their first of the Cardinals since June 28-30, 2004.

And it was, as Tracy pronounced, their best baseball of 2006.

The pitching?

Paul Maholm followed where Zach Duke and Ian Snell left off, turning in 6 2/3 shutout innings to give the starters a total of 22 2/3 innings with three runs allowed. The bullpen, kept fresh, was unblemished.

The offense?

It was occasionally potent, with early back-to-back home runs by Jason Bay and Joe Randa, but mostly efficient, getting bases-loaded hits from Freddy Sanchez and Chris Duffy to bust it open late. For the series, the Pirates batted 12 for 34 with runners in scoring position, outscored St. Louis, 17-3, and delivered every bunt and sacrifice fly as needed.

	THE RACE How Freddy Sanchez stands in his bid to become the first Pirates player to win the National League batting title since Bill Madlock in 1983. LAST GAME Yesterday: 2 for 4 with two doubles vs. Cardinals. LEADERS Freddy Sanchez .346 Miguel Cabrera, Marlins .340 Chipper Jones, Braves .331 NEXT GAME Today: 7:05 p.m. vs. Brewers. Pitcher: Dave Bush. Sanchez is 3 for 3 lifetime vs. Bush.

And the defense?

But for one meaningless late error yesterday, it ranged from sound to sensational.

"That's winning baseball right there," catcher Humberto Cota said. "I don't think you're going to see a better example."

"Every aspect was on," Duffy said. "Especially the pitching."

Tracy would not bite when asked if the Pirates had beaten the Cardinals at their own game, no doubt out of continuing respect for a team 17 1/2 games ahead of them in the standings. But he did offer as much praise for his group's performance as he often showers on St. Louis'.

"Things are starting to change," he said. "We've gone from the point where we play good teams toe-to-toe and feel good about ourselves for just coming up short, to the point where coming up short is not sufficient. We want more than that."

He paused.

"We played good baseball. All phases of it."

St. Louis starter Jason Marquis held the Pirates to three hits in six innings, but two of those found the bleachers.

Bay opened the second by driving a Marquis fastball over the deepest part of the park in left-center for his 25th home run, his first since July 26. And Randa immediately planted another Marquis fastball in virtually the same spot for his third.

Maholm had men on base in all but one of his innings, 12 total. But, as has become routine, he shrugged them off, thanks largely to a crisp sinker that netted 12 groundouts.

"Outstanding," Cota said of that pitch. "He just pounded the zone with it."

With his fifth quality start in six outings, Maholm improved to 5-10.

"He pitched very well," Tracy said. "And you're seeing him cutting down on those runners, too, making adjustments early on."

"I just wanted to keep the good pitching going," Maholm said.

After Salomon Torres quashed a St. Louis rally in the seventh, the Pirates smashed open a 6-0 lead in the bottom half when Duffy and Sanchez each stroked a bases-loaded single that brought two runs.

Duffy added an RBI single in the eighth to cap an afternoon in which he reached base four of five times -- two hits, a hit batsman and a walk -- and a breakout weekend in which he reached 10 of 14 times.

"It's a start," Duffy said. "But I'm looking forward to more."

The Cardinals must have been looking forward to simply getting out of town. They remain 1 1/2 games up on the Cincinnati Reds, but they surely expected more from facing an opponent they had dominated.

"What kind of positives can you possibly get from a sweep?" first baseman Albert Pujols said. "Nothing."

Unless, of course, you were the Pirates and shook off a five-game losing streak to improve to 15-13 since the All-Star break.

"They were struggling coming in, but they did the job against us," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "They've had a strong second half, so they're doing a lot of things right."