Cardinals prevail against Pirates

Starter Lance Lynn #31 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Busch Stadium on April 17, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri.

(April 17, 2017 - Source: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images North America)

The St. Louis Cardinals (4-9) prevail against the Pittsburgh Pirates (6-7) 2-1 in the opener of their three-game series.

St. Louis’ 2B Kolten Wong opened the score with a leadoff home run in the third inning. It was his first long ball of the year.

The Cardinals doubled their lead in the seventh. LF Grandal Grichuk hit a single with one out. He then stole second base and went on to advance to third on a throwing error by C Francisco Cervelli.

1B Jose Martinez followed with a single and drove Grandal Grichuk home to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead.

The Pirates scored a run in the ninth inning but it was not enough for comeback. 1B Josh Bell hit a one-out single and advanced to second base on a groundout by Francisco Cervelli. PH Gregory Polanco doubled next and drove in Josh Bell.

CL Seung-hwan OH earned his first save of the season. He allowed 2 hits and 1 earned run, giving him a 9.53 ERA with a 1.76 WHIP on the year.

Pittsburgh’s SP Ivan Nova (1-2) worked 8 innings, giving up 5 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 3. He posts an impressive 2.25 ERA as well as a 0.95 WHIP this season.

St. Louis’ SP Lance Lynn (1-1) pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 walk while fanning 5. His ERA and WHIP improved to 3.12 and 1.10, respectively.

Kolten Wong went 1-for-3 with a solo homer. He is now batting .167 and has 1 run, 1 HR and 4 RBI on the year.