ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals pitcher John Gant got a new label from teammate Jose Martinez — power hitter.

Harrison Bader and Gant hit back-to-back home runs, Gant pitched into the sixth inning and St. Louis beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 on Thursday night.

“You hit one, you’re lucky,” Martinez said of Gant’s second blast of the season. “You hit a second one, you’re a power hitter.”

The Cardinals have won 17 of 21 and took their tenth consecutive series, their longest series winning streak since 2009, when they also won ten in a row.

“It’s an important thing,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “We want to get better as the game goes and we want to get better as the series goes. And if you take care of the series, the rest of it just falls into place.”

Gant (6-5) pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the first and a two-on, no-out jam in the third to win for the third time in his last four tries.

He struck out six in 5 2/3 innings and has allowed one earned run in his last 12 2/3 innings.

“It was a great team win, a great series win,” Gant said. “Another series win, and we’re going to try to keep on chugging.”

Pirates starter Joe Musgrove (5-8) opened the game with 21 consecutive strikes, a first in the majors since pitch tracking began in 1988, according to Stats. That control didn’t do him much good, though. He gave up five runs in six innings.

“I came out sharp but I didn’t keep my foot on the gas,” Musgrove said. “I didn’t keep going. That’s got to be done against a good lineup like that.”

Musgrove’s strike streak ended with a first-pitch ball to Bader in the third, and two pitches later, Bader went deep to left. Gant then homered on a 2-1 pitch, giving St. Louis consecutive home runs for the seventh time this season.