The Pirates missed scoring opportunities, St. Louis Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez pitched well and the Pirates lost the opener of the four-game series, 4-1, at PNC Park Thursday night.
A crowd of 35,183 came out for the contest between the National League’s two best teams, a game that was paused for 36 minutes because of a rain delay. The Pirates’ five-game winning streak ended and they are now 51/2 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central.
Despite not allowing any runs, Martinez (10-3) was uneven in the early innings. He allowed hits to the first two batters he faced.