PITTSBURGH (AP) — Erick Fedde did not give up any hits on Wednesday, but his walks prevented him from throwing a no-hitter.

The St. Louis Cardinals right-hander pitched six innings on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Four walks drove up his pitch count to 88 and manager Oliver Marmol did not want Fedde to go any further.

Fedde did not factor into the decision as the Pirates won 2-1 on Joey Bart’s RBI single in the 13th inning.

Fedde had thrown 73 and 65 pitches in his first two starts of the season.

“(Marmol) explained to me that he just didn’t want to extend me, and I understood,” Fedde said. “The season is a marathon, right? It’s something that’s fun and exciting, and you want to chase a no-hitter as long as you can, but I get the decision. I’ve got to save some pitches if I want to make it all the way to the end of the season.”

All four of Fedde’s walks came leading off innings. Yet he held the Pirates scoreless, thanks in part to two double plays. He never allowed a runner past first base.

Fedde threw just 51 strikes and had two strikeouts.

“It’s not as great as I wanted it to be but it’s a great place to build from,” said Fedde, who entered the day with a 1-1 record and 7.00 ERA. “It was a big confidence booster, but I’ve still got to get a little better with command. Four leadoff walks aren’t something you’re going to get away with all the time, and I’m going to work hard to get better, but it was definitely a good day overall.”

Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker watched Fedde from the dugout before delivering a pinch-hit RBI single in the 12th inning. Walker was impressed.

“He was unbelievable,” Walker said. “The ball was really moving.”

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