Coverage of today's Cards and Pirates game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 2:30pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Holliday finished 3-for-3 and plated
the game's only run with a double in the first, while Shelby Miller spun 5 2/3
strong frames, as the St. Louis Cardinals claimed a 1-0 win over the
Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game set Friday at Busch Stadium.
Miller (2-2) struck out four and scattered three hits with four walks over his
scoreless outing.
Four St. Louis relievers combined to keep the Pirates off the board from
there, culminating in Trevor Rosenthal's perfect ninth inning that gave the
right-hander his seventh save of the season.
Jhonny Peralta added a pair of hits for the Cardinals, who had lost two
straight and four of their last five games.
Gerrit Cole (2-2) took the hard-luck loss, giving up just one run on six hits
and three walks over seven innings.
Jose Tabata collected two of the four hits for the Pirates, who dropped their
fourth straight game after going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The Cardinals manufactured the lone run of the game in the first inning, which
Matt Carpenter opened with a bunt single down the third-base line.
After Carpenter moved to second on a groundout, Holliday ripped a double to
center, scoring the St. Louis second baseman easily for a 1-0 lead.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases with one out in the third, but Miller got Andrew
McCutchen to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to escape the
frame unscathed.
St. Louis mounted a threat of its own in the home half, as Jon Jay worked a
one-out walk before moving to third when Holliday followed with a single to
right. Jay slid into third head-first and was originally ruled safe.
However, the Pirates challenged the call, which was overturned after video
review showed third baseman Pedro Alvarez tag Jay's hand before it reached the
bag. Matt Adams then singled to keep the inning alive, but Cole got Yadier
Molina to ground out weakly to third to end the inning.
Pittsburgh put together its only other threat in the eighth against Carlos
Martinez. Martinez hit pinch-hitter Starling Marte to begin the frame and then
served up a single to Tabata before Neil Walker slapped one back to the mound.
Martinez alertly fired behind Marte to third, and after a short rundown, Marte
was retired for the first out.
Martinez then uncorked a wild pitch and intentionally walked McCutchen to load
the bases, but the St. Louis right-hander fanned Alvarez and Chris Stewart in
succession to keep the Pirates off the board.
Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth to close out the victory.
Game Notes
Pittsburgh took two of three at home from the Cardinals earlier in April ...
Miller entered the game 0-5 over five career starts against Pittsburgh ...
Molina singled in the eighth to extend his hitting streak to 15 games ... St.
Louis went 1-for-11 with RISP and left 10 men on base.