The Pirates road woes continued as St. Louis scored twice off the bullpen to win the opener of the series. Matt Holliday dingered and drove in three for the Birds.
Pedro Alvarez kick started the scoring and continued his hot hitting with a solo jack off Kyle Lohse in the second inning. Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton gave up four straight singles with two outs in the bottom of the third. Albert Pujol’s single (the third in the line) scored Skip Schumaker. Holliday’s knock scored Allen Craig, with Pujols being thrown out at third to end the inning.
Alvarez was again involved in Pittsburgh’s game tying rally in the fourth. He doubled and scored on a two out single from Ronny Cedeno. Pittsburgh took a 4-2 lead in the fifth with Neil Walker and Alvarez contributing RBI singles. But Holliday’s two run shot – scoring Pujols – knotted the score in the sixth inning.
Sean Gallagher relieved Morton to start the seventh. He gave up a single to Matt Pagnozzi. Pinch hitter John Jay sacrificed him to third and with two outs, Ronny Cedeno threw away a grounder from Craig, allowing Pagnozzi to score the go ahead run. In the eighth Chan Ho Park uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Brendan Ryan to score an insurance run for St. Louis.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but pinch hitter Andy LaRoche hit into an inning ending double play. Ryan Doumit hit into a double play in the eighth that erased Cedeno. McCutchen walked and stole second to start the ninth, but was stranded.
Gallagher was the loser in relief of Morton. The Pittsburgh starter went six innings and allowed nine singles and a double while striking out four. Lohse had a similar line score -six innings, four runs and ten hits. He walked two and struck out two. Dennys Reyes picked up the win in relief. Kyle McClellan notched the save.
The Good
Morton kep the team in the game. No complaints.
Alvarez was 3-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Cutch, Cedeno and Tabata each had two hits.
The Bad
Cedeno’s error.
Park’s wild pitch.
The Rest
Morton remains 1-3 against St. Louis. Lohse is 5-1 against the Pirates.
Holliday has driven in 100 or more runs in four of the last five years.
This is the fifth time in the last ten years that St. Louis has had at least two players reach 100 RBI in a single season. Only once since 1991 have the Pirates managed that feat. That was in 1999 when Brian Giles and Kevin Young did it.
Matt Pagnozzi is the nephew of longtime St. Louis catcher and former all-start Tom Pagnozzi.
