Stanek struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-1 win over the Pirates.
Stanek secured his second save of the season in dominant fashion, fanning two of the three batters he faced while tossing seven of his 12 pitches for strikes. Riley O'Brien remains the Cardinals' primary closer with 34 saves, so Stanek's path to regular save chances would seem blocked. Friday's outing shows Stanek is capable of handling the ninth when O'Brien is unavailable.