WP: Jeff Locke (4-1, 2.73 ERA)
LP: Lucas Harrell (3-5, 4.63 ERA)
SV: Jason Grilli (17, 0.92 ERA)

Jeff Locke started and pitched seven scoreless innings. He struck out four, walked two, and gave up just three hits. He also forced one double play ball.

Andrew McCutchen was scratched due to soreness in his right knee. Apparently he was able to pinch hit, but was not used.

The only run of the game came on an opposite field, line drive homer by Pedro Alvarez in the fifth inning. It was his team leading eighth big fly of the season.

After blowing his first lead of the season, Mark Melancon pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning to get back into form. Jason Grilli followed it with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his Major League leading 17th save.

The Pirates have an off day Monday before a three-game series against the Cubs. On Tuesday, Wandy Rodriguez will face Matt Garza, who will be making his first start of the year after starting the season on the disabled list due to a lat strain.

WP: Jose Cisnero (1-0, 4.00 ERA)
LP: Bryan Morris (1-2, 3.68 ERA)
SV: Jose Veras (6, 3.71 ERA)

A.J. Burnett pitched stellar, as usual, giving up just one run over seven innings. He did walk four batters and give up five hits, but was helped out by seven strikeouts and two double plays. Burnett has a 2.57 ERA this season in ten starts and somehow the Pirates have managed to win just four of those ten. They are averaging 2.6 runs scored per Burnett start.

The Pirates jumped out to a 1-0 lead on back-to-back doubles in the first inning by Andrew McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez. McCutchen would hit a second double in the sixth for his third straight multi-hit game.

Mark Melancon gave up just his second run of the season in the eighth inning after giving up three singles. It is the first time this season he’s blown a lead.

The Pirates were simply unable to get to an Astros staff with pitchers who entered the game with ERA’s of 6.67, 7.43, 2.95, 5.02, and 3.94. Former Pirate Erik Bedard went more than five innings for the first time this year and it was just his second start in which he didn’t allow a home run.

The Astros scored the go-ahead run in the 11th inning on a play at the plate. Home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor ruled Jason Castro safe on a fielder’s choice to Neil Walker. Clint Hurdle was ejected following the play. Castro was clearly safe.

Jeff Locke (3-1. 3.15 ERA) faces Lucas Harrell (3-4, 5.11 ERA) in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon at 1:35 ET.

WP: Justin Wilson (4-0, 1.40 ERA)
LP: Edgar Gonzalez (0-1, 7.43 ERA)

Jeanmar Gomez had his worst start after being pretty solid in his first three. He pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up four runs, three of which were earned. He struck out just one and gave up five hits and two walks.

One person I was sad to see the organization and am glad to see in the majors is Robbie Grossman. The Bucs traded Grossman last season in the Wandy Rodriguez deal and he has been Houston’s starting center fielder this year. Today, Grossman did what we know he does best: get on base. He went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk, scoring two of the Astros four runs.

Andrew McCutchen is heating up, ladies and gentlemen. That’s bad news for the rest of the league. McCutchen went 3 for 5 with a double and a home run in his second straight multi-hit game. His OPS has risen .093 points this month.

Pedro Alvarez hit an absolute mammoth of a home run to tie the game up in the eighth inning off reliever Hector Ambriz. I mean, he just killed it.

The Pirates bullpen was big, once again, as Vin Mazzaro, Tony Watson, and Justin Wilson combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings to keep the game within reach until…

In the bottom of the ninth inning, in what can only be described as the most Astros thing you will ever see, the Pirates walked it off with this:

I’m going to miss playing those guys 20 times a year.

WP: Francisco Liriano (2-0, 1.64 ERA)
LP: Hiram Burgos (1-2, 6.58 ERA)

Francisco Liriano, in his second start as a Pirates did pretty much the same as he did in his first start. He went 5 2/3 innings while giving up one run on six hits. He struck out seven and walked three. His only run given up was in a shaky first inning, but from then on it was pretty much smooth sailing.

Travis Snider had perhaps his best game as a Pirate, going 3 for 5 with a two-run monster of a home run that travelled 458 feet before finding its way into the Allegheny River. He added a single in the third inning and an RBI single in the sixth. His batting line now stands at a solid .292/.364/.406.

The bullpen continued to be impressive as Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris, and Jose Contreras combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings in which they didn’t give up a hit.

Clint Barmes went 1 for 3 with a double in the fourth inning that drove in the club’s first run. He now has a seven game hitting streak, his longest as a Pirate.

Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, and Russell Martin each picked up two hits.

WP: Wandy Rodriguez (4-2, 3.25 ERA)
LP: Yovani Gallardo (3-3, 4.50 ERA)
SV: Jason Grilli (16, 1.02 ERA)

Wandy Rodriguez pitched seven innings and gave up just one run on six hits. He also struck out five and walked one. The Brewers’ only run came on a solo home run by Rickie Weeks in the seventh inning. He danced out of some trouble in the fourth inning when Jonathan Lucroy led off the inning with a triple. Rodriguez was then able to induce two pop ups and a grounder to leave Lucroy at third.

Starling Marte led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to right center. After Gallardo walked Andrew McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez, Neil Walker delivered with a line drive single to center field to plate two runs to break the 0-0 tie. The Bucs would add another run in the eighth when McCutchen scored on an error by Weeks.

Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli each pitched 1-2-3 innings to seal the deal for the Pirates. Grilli is now 16 for 16 in save opportunities and moves into a tie with Mariano Rivera for most saves in the majors.

McCutchen stole his eighth and ninth bases of the season. He has been caught stealing just once in ten attempts this year compared to 12 caught stealings in 32 attempts last year.

WP: A.J. Burnett (1-2, 2.63 ERA)
LP: Shelby Miller (2-1, 1.96 ERA)

A.J. Burnett was perfect through 5 1/3 innings and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. His only two blemishes were a hit by pitch and a double to Carlos Beltran. He also struck out eight batters in his seven innings. His second strikeout was the 2,000th of his career.

The Pirates rushed out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Travis Snider that scored Starling Marte, who reached on a leadoff triple. Marte is now hitting .615/.643/.923 when leading off games this year. Unreal.

The Pirates added a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Neil Walker and added another in the seventh when Russell Martin scored on a throwing error by 3B David Freese on a Starling Marte ground ball. The Bucs would then add on some more insurance in the eight inning when Gaby Sanchez doubled in Andrew McCutchen. Sanchez would then score on a Pedro Alvarez single.

Overall, it was a very good game to watch. Burnett was unstoppable. The offense was stagnant through the middle innings, but came up with some timely hitting late in the game to close out the game. The bullpen pitched two perfect frames.

It’s really early to look at standings, but 14 games in, the Pirates are 7-7 and just one game back of the first place Cardinals.

The Pirates start a four game series tomorrow against the Braves. Jeff Locke will get the start against the organization that drafted him. After facing Miller tonight, the Pirates will face another highly regarded young arm in Julio Teheran.

Game Time: 12:35 ET (Tickets)

Probable Starters:
CHC – Travis Wood (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
PIT – James McDonald (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

James McDonald makes his first start after posting a 4.19 ERA in five spring training starts. Last season against the Cubs, McDonald was 0-2 with a 7.04 ERA in three starts. McDonald has yet to rack up a “win” vs the Cubs in six career starts.

Travis Wood fared a bit better when facing the Pirates. In three starts against the Bucs last season, he was 1-2 with a 2.70 ERA. Current Pirates hitters have a career .191 batting average against Wood.

WP: Wandy Rodriguez (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
LP: Edwin Jackson (0-1, 3.60 ERA)
SV: Jason Grilli (1, 0.00 ERA)
MVP: Wandy Rodriguez (.248 WPA)

Wandy Rodriguez picked up right where he left off this spring as he tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up just two hits. He struck out six batters and walked just one. Tony Watson helped get out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh and added a 1-2-3 eighth inning before giving way to new closer Jason Grilli who wrapped things up with a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the year.

The Pirates put up their first two runs in the fourth inning when Garrett Jones led off with a single. Andrew McCutchen would then drive him in with a double that short-hopped the left field wall. McCutchen would later score when Gaby Sanchez reached on an error by Starlin Castro to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.

Pittsburgh would add an insurance run in the seventh inning thanks to a lead off double by Clint Barmes, who would score on an RBI single by Starling Marte.

Rodriguez, Watson, and Grilli combined for nine strikeouts, giving the staff 24 on the season.

James McDonald will take the hill tomorrow at 12:35 against Travis Wood to decide the series.

Game Time: 7:05 ET (Tickets)

Probable Starters:
CHC – Edwin Jackson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
PIT – Wandy Rodriguez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Historically, Wandy Rodriguez gets out of the gate fast. He has a career 2.95 ERA in the month of April. He also went 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Cubs last season.

I never really understood why, but when 29-year old Edwin Jackson throws his first pitch tonight, the Cubs will become the eighth team in Jackson’s career he would have played on. That’s crazy. Especially for someone who has been a pretty useful arm over that time.

Andrew McCutchen has homered twice off Edwin Jackson in 11 career at bats.

WP: Jeff Samardzija (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
LP: A.J. Burnett (0-1, 4.76 ERA)
SV: Kyuji Fujikawa (1, 0.00 ERA)

A.J. Burnett struck out ten batters in his first career Opening Day start, but it wasn’t enough as the Cubs scored two runs in the first inning on an Anthony Rizzo home run and led the rest of the way.

Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija gave up just two hits and one walk over eight shutout innings as the Pirates struggled to get out of the gate offensively.

Pedro Alvarez drove home the Bucs’ only run on a single in the ninth inning that scored Andrew McCutchen.

Relievers Justin Wilson, Jared Hughes, and Mark Melancon combined to toss 3 1/3 scoreless innings while adding another five strikeouts to push the staff’s total to 15 on the afternoon.

Neil Walker, Andrew McCutchen, and Pedro Alvarez were the only Pirates who were able to collect a hit. McCutchen stole the first base of the season for the club in the ninth inning following a walk that moved him into scoring position.

The Pirates are off tomorrow and face the Cubs again on Wednesday at 7:05 ET. Wandy Rodriguez takes the hill for the Bucs against Edwin Jackson.