ST. LOUIS _ There wasn't much offense to go around on Monday night, but thanks to the Cardinals' starting pitcher it didn't really matter.
Lance Lynn tossed seven scoreless innings in his best start of the season and a timely insurance run provided by first baseman Jose Martinez put the Cardinals on top 2-1 for a series-opening win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The win snapped the Cardinals' three-game losing streak.
Lynn was dominant from the get-go and only allowed three hits in his seven innings. Wong hit his first home run of the season in the third inning _ a solo shot that traveled 398 feet _ and Martinez added an RBI single in the seventh.
Reliever Trevor Rosenthal came in for Lynn and tossed a scoreless eighth, but things got dicey in the ninth. Seung-Hwan Oh relieved Rosenthal, and was a strike away from ending the game but allowed an RBI double to pinch hitter Gregory Polanco.
Pinch hitter John Jaso then grounded out and Oh earned his first save of the season after the Cardinals blew two opportunities in the first two weeks. The right-hander earned 19 saves for the Cardinals last season, finishing sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Though the Pirates lost, it was a tough-luck outing for Pittsburgh starter Ivan Nova who earned a complete-game loss even though he threw just 78 pitches.
The Cardinals and Pirates meet again at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday. Chad Kuhl and Mike Leake are the probable starters.
