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Cardinals @ Pirates recap 5.10 - Cardinals suffer first series loss of the season

Back-and-forth affair goes the Pirates' way

By WyoCardsFan
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Cardinals @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Tyler Lyons vs. Jeff Locke
12:35 p.m. CT
PNC Park - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Today's Lineups -

Some News -

  • Marco Gonzalez started in Memphis yesterday.  He went 2 1/3 and gave up 4 runs in the first.  He'll be building a pitch count - Post Dispatch
  • Jaime Garcia got the start for Memphis today.  Not Great:
  • Brewers-Cubs in progress (2-1 Brewers in the 7th) - MLB
  • Reds-White Sox in progress (1-1 in the 7th) - MLB

Things we were looking for -

Heyward batting 8th?

Things that happened -

Top halves -

Peter Bourjos' walk to leadoff the game against Jeff Locke was all for naught.  Kolten Wong flew out, and Matt Holliday grounded into a double play.  Locke continued to mow through Cardinal batters.  His second inning strikeout of Matt Adams was particularly impressive.

The first Cardinal hit came with one out in the third, when Jason Heyward beat out an infield grounder for a single. Locke was extremely stingy.  With 55 pitches through the first five innings, Locke only allowed the infield hit to Heyward and the leadoff walk to Bourjos.

The new-look top-of-the-lineup decided to show up in the sixth.  With two outs, Bourjos knocked single into left.  Kolten Wong came up and tied up the game with a dinger to right off of a 2-seamer from Locke.  Game tied 2-2.

Yadi drove a deep fly ball to center to start the seventh.  McCutchen made a nice play going back and halfway scaling the wall to retire him.  Mark Reynolds went back to that particular well, and collected a double off the top of the wall (and off McCutchen's glove).  Heyward drove him in with a single down the right field line, tying the game!  That was it for Jeff Locke.  Jared Hughes came in and allowed a single to pinch hitter Tony Cruz, but retired Bourjos to end the inning.  Game tied 3-3.

Locke's final line: 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 95 pitches thrown.

Tony Watson in the eighth.  Wong worked a full-count walk to lead off, but was erased in a inning-ending double play (Peralta).

Mark Melancon came in to shut out the game for the Pirates.  Yadier Molina led off with a base hit up the middle.  Reynolds followed up with a single off of Mercer's glove.  Pete Kozma checked in as the Cardinals' final hope with two outs and runners on first and second.   A harmless groundout to Rodriguez at first ended the game.  Pirates win 4-3.

Bottom halves -

The second batter into the bottom of the first, Jung Ho Kang jumped all over a Tyler Lyons fastball and put it in the left field seats to put the Pirates up 1-0.

Besides that pitch, Lyons looked good early on.  His breaking balls were working great.  He fought fastball command a bit, but was able to settle in.

In the fourth, Lyons cost himself two and probably three bases.  Starling Marte sent a little swinging bunt to Lyons, who probably had a play on him at first, but threw the ball away, sending Marte all the way to third with only one out.  Jordy Mercer drove him in by driving a hard grounder to third base, comically knocking Mark Reynolds over.  Pirates lead 2-0.

Francisco Cervelli led off the Pirate's half of the fifth with a single up the first base line.  On Locke's bunt, Yadi fielded it quickly and tried to get the lead runner at second, but his throw tailed on Peralta, resulting in allowing runners at first and second.  On Josh Harrison's fly out, Cervelli decided to test Bourjos' arm by tagging from second to third.  It was a close play, but Cervelli probably beat the throw.  Unfortunately for him, he was a bit over eager in his slide (possibly thanks to the hilarious antics of the third base coach- try to find the video), and slid off the bag, becoming the second half of the double play.  Lyons was able to finish off Kang to end the inning with no harm done.

Andrew McCutchen doubled off the wall to start the sixth.  That was it for Lyons.

Matt Belisle took over.  Marte greeted him to the game with a hard single to right.  Pinch hitter Gregory Polanco put the Pirates back on top, a sac fly scoring McCutchen.  A Wong throwing error after a super rangy play on the shortstop side of second put runners on second and third, but Belisle worked out of further damage.  Pirates up 3-2.

Lyons' final line: 5.0+ IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 84 pitches thrown.

Mitch Harris had the seventh.  A leadoff walk came back to haunt him.  Kang drove Steve Lombardozzi in with a single to left.  It was Harris' first run allowed in his big league career.  That put the Pirates back on top 4-3.

Kevin Siegrist allowed a double off the wall in the eighth (Sean Rodriguez), but kept it a one-run game for his guys going into the ninth.

Final Notes -


  • Both starters were good, slightly better than just your average "give-your-team-a-chance-to-win" type performance.  Lyons started with good breaking balls with shaky fastball command, and then later in the game he found his fastball, but his breakers became less crisp.  Locke only struck out one, but was generating weak contact with consistency.
  • In the ninth, during the rally bid:
  • "You can't strike a guy out until you get two strikes on him." - Al Hrabosky
  • Fangraphs
  • Gamenotes: Cards | Pirates

Looking ahead -

Tune in Tuesday as the Cards bring their talents to the other side of the DL line.  Carlos Carrasco and the Indians will host Lance Lynn and the Cardinals.  The fun will start at 5:10 CT.

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