In a seven-inning game designed to make it easier for teams to play doubleheaders as makeup games without taxing too many bullpen arms in 2020, the Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals went to extras in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader as the Pirates held on for dear life in a 4-3 win.
Each offense struggled to get anything going throughout the early stages of the game. The Pirates scratched a run across in the fourth, with a single from catcher Jacob Stallings driving outfielder Cole Tucker home. The Cardinals answered right back in the fifth, on a solo home run from catcher Yadier Molina, tying the game 1-1.
Then, in extras, after nearly three full games of lackluster hitting, the Pirates finally found something in the eighth. With the extra-inning courtesy runner on second, Tucker stepped up and blooped a single into center field to score outfielder Jarrod Dyson. Tucker moved over on a Josh Bell walk two hitters later, and left fielder Bryan Reynolds hit another soft line drive into center to score him. Stallings tacked on one more when a hard ground ball to third scooted under the glove of Cardinals infielder Brad Miller and Bell crossed home.
That was just barely enough for right-hander Richard Rodriguez, who closed out the game in the eighth inning. He allowed a single and a sacrifice fly to score one run, then two more singles and another run, putting baserunners on first and third with one out in a one-run game. Rodriguez stepped up to strike out the final two hitters, though, securing the narrow win for the Pirates.
Chad Kuhl began Game 1 and was good once again.
Through four innings, the right-hander allowed just four baserunners on two hits and two walks. None of them scored and he needed just 42 pitches to get it done.
Kuhl was likely the most encouraging Pirate in the game, and it extended a streak of strong outings for him. Each game he has started this season, he has gone at least four innings and allowed no more than three runs. His 2.52 ERA is now the lowest of any Pirates pitcher, other than Nick Tropeano, who made his debut on Tuesday.
Eventually, Kuhl blinked, leaving a fifth-inning sinker up in the zone against Molina. The nine-time All-Star didn't miss it, parking it 413 feet away, into the Pirates' bullpen in left field.
With the way the Pirates' offense has been trending in the past couple of games, any fears for the rest of the game or extras would have been justified, but they did just enough to skate by, setting up an opportunity for a sweep in the doubleheader's night cap.
