PITTSBURGH (AP) Connor Joe learned the importance of beating the St. Louis Cardinals when the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted the now well-traveled outfielder nearly a decade ago.

The Cardinals have long been a measuring stick for the Pirates, one they've largely failed to meet for most of the last quarter century or more.

It's June. It's still really, really early. Yet there are signs Pittsburgh has closed the gap on a team that's been more tormentor than a rival for a long, long time.