Game 1

        Cards vs. Pirates Day 1 Recap

        

        An 8-5 Cardinals victory was not opening day result that the Pirates and newly acquired ace Matt Moore were hoping for. Moore struggled through 4 innings, giving up five runs, four earned runs, and took the loss to move to 0-1 on the season. He could not get an out in the fifth inning before getting the hook. Mooreís lone highlight was a perfectly placed suicide squeeze in the second inning that froze the defense as Marlon Byrd strolled in from third base. The Pirates had many chances to seize control in this back and forth, high-scoring affair. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, down 7-3, slugger Pedro Alvarez flew out to right field with runners on second and third, ending the Pirates comeback threat. Howie Kendrickís first home run on the season, in the seventh inning, tightened the game and gave the Bucs some hope. 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen played his part with two doubles, as did Marlon Byrd who added two timely hits, but the Pirates could not complete the comeback and simply could not contain the Cardinalsí dangerous lineup. Sergio Romo took the save for the Cardinals, with Adam Wainwright getting the win sending the Pirates to a 0-1 start to the season. The two teams will complete the series tomorrow.