ST. LOUIS -- There was no mincing words, on any front, about how Ian Snell pitched yesterday.

"You can tell he just didn't have it," manager John Russell said after the Pirates overcame Snell's 5-1 deficit to beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-5. "There was no zip on the ball."

Snell was pulled after four innings and charged with five runs, 11 hits and a walk. That raised his season ERA to 5.05 and, as Russell indicated, again raised the issue of lagging stuff: Snell struck out two, meaning he now has failed to fan more than three batters in half of his 10 starts, and he got six swings and misses out of 81 pitches. Two were by his mound counterpart, Joel Pineiro.

Snell's fastball, one of the top 10 in the National League last year at an average of 92.4 mph, checked in all afternoon at 90 mph.

His explanation?

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Minor-league report

Thursday's results

INDIANAPOLIS (20-22)beat Richmond, 3-2, in 11 innings. RHP Ty Taubenheim (3-5, 5.01) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. RHP Romulo Sanchez (3.78) allowed one run in an inning of relief. CF Andrew McCutchen (.287) went 3 for 4, including the winning RBI single in the 11th, with two walks. 3B Neil Walker (.196) tripled in his only at-bat in the 11th and scored the winning run. RF Steve Pearce (.247) and LF Nyjer Morgan (.143) each went 2 for 5.

ALTOONA (15-23)split a doubleheader with Akron, losing, 3-0, and winning, 3-2. In the first game, RHP Jimmy Barthmaier (2-2, 5.35) allowed three runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings. In the second game, RHP Yoslan Herrera (3-3, 2.57) allowed one unearned run and six hits in six innings. He struck out two and walked one. For the day, LF Jonel Pacheco (.313) hit his sixth home run and went 1 for 6 with two RBIs.

LYNCHBURG (16-23) lost at Winston-Salem, 4-3, in 10 innings. LHP Brian Holliday (1-1, 3.51) allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. DH Eddie Prasch (.309) went 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs.

HICKORY (19-22)won at Columbus, 10-2. RHP Rafael Delossantos (2-2, 4.08) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings. LF Erik Huber (.269) went 3 for 5 with a double, a triple and an RBI.

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"I [stink], period," he said. "I'm just trying to find my way. Baseball's funny. I'm trying to understand it, and I can't. I don't know what it is. My bullpens are great. I don't know if it's focus or what. I just know that I'm the one who got us into that mess."

There is no indication of any arm issue.

Shortstop Jack Wilson went 1 for 3 in beginning his rehabilitation stint with Class AAA Indianapolis yesterday -- a single in his first at-bat, a strikeout and groundout -- but was barely tested defensively in six innings in the field. He fielded one popup.

Going to the left has brought the greatest challenge in his recovery from a strained left calf.

"I can't seem to find a ground ball," Wilson said, laughing. "I was playing down in Florida, and I couldn't get a ground ball down there, either. But it was good to get the single and run the bases a little."

It was his first minor league action since June 11, 2001.

If the Pirates never had to face Chicago, as they do for three games at Wrigley Field beginning today, they would have a contender's record and statistics.

Consider that they are 0-6 against the Cubs, 20-15 against everyone else. Or that they bat .222 against the Cubs' pitchers, .301 against everyone else. Or that their pitchers have a 7.20 ERA against the Cubs, 4.45 against everyone else.

And here is one individually: Freddy Sanchez is 3 for 27 vs. Chicago.

"We all need to step up," first baseman Adam LaRoche said.

• The Pirates assigned reliever Evan Meek, the Rule 5 pick they reacquired through trade with Tampa Bay, to Class AA Altoona. That was the highest level he had achieved while in the Rays' system.

• Shortstop Brian Bixler has not started the past two games despite having performed better of late, but it is not related to getting hit by a pitch in the spine Monday.

• The series victory in St. Louis was the Pirates' first -- in a series longer than two games -- since 2003.