The Pittsburgh Pirates picked up a run in the second inning on Gerrit Cole's two-out RBI-single and currently lead the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 through two innings.
Pirates vs. Cardinals NLDS score: Pittsburgh jumps out to 1-0 lead
Gerrit Cole helps himself with a RBI-single in the second.
Lance Lynn started the game for St. Louis with two strikeouts, sending Starling Marte and Neil Walker down on strikes. Andrew McCutchen slapped a two-out single, but Lynn retired Justin Morneau to end the inning.
Cole's day began with a Matt Carpenter groundout, but Carlos Beltran followed with a double. Beltran now has 47 career post-season hits, 26 for extra bases. Matt Holliday and Matt Adams could not drive the runner in, as both sluggers hit flyouts to end the first.
Lynn started off the second inning with his third strikeout of the day, getting Marlon Byrd to chase a breaking ball outside the strike zone. Pedro Alvarez followed with a ground-rule double, smashing the ball to dead centerfield. Jon Jay appeared to misplay the ball, a rare miscue for the standout defender.
Lynn fanned Russell Martin for the second out of the frame, then intentionally walked Jordy Mercer, bringing Cole to the plate with two outs.
The rookie pitcher helped himself, smacking a RBI-single up the middle to drive in Alvarez to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Lynn then hit Marte with his next pitch, loading the bases with two outs, but retired Walker to escape the jam.
Yadier Molina offered at the first Cole offering in the bottom of the second, but McCutchen made a nice sliding catch for the first out of the inning. Jay and David Freese followed with groundouts, giving Cole a perfect second.
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