ST. LOUIS -- Oh it'll be bad, all right.
Albert Pujols will take JT Brubaker deep. Yadier Molina will throw out three baserunners. Adam Wainwright will stride off the mound with seven scoreless innings, with barely a bead of sweat to show for it. And the self-declared best fans in baseball will stand and roar, loud and lovingly, throughout.
Worse than bad. It'll be a bleeping nightmare.
Because it won't stop with the Pirates' 136th season opener today, 4:15 p.m., at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals will take three of four out here.