Alvarez flashes his power, under-rated ability on the bases in 12-2 win over Cardinals

Win: Gerrit Cole (1-0)

Loss: Shelby  Miller (0-1)

The Pirates (3-1) bats were awaken Friday night in a 12-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. (2-2) Pittsburgh managed 16 hits and Pedro Alvarez was the catalyst.

Alvarez homered twice, an opposite field solo homer in the 2nd and homered to center in the 4th for his 8th career multi home run game.

It wasn’t Alvarez’s ability at the plate that stood out the most. It was his athletic ability as he truly doesn’t get enough credit for how good of an athlete he is. It all started in the 6th inning with the Pirates leading just 3-2. Alvarez beat out a double play with great hustle to first than stole his 5th career base, advancing to second. Moments later he was on the run again with his legs, beating out a Yadier Molina tag at home plate off a Russell Martin hit to center that put the Pirates up 4-2 and Alvarez’s ability on the base paths broke the game wide open.

“He puts a lot of focus on running the bases and he’s arguably one of our best base runners when he’s on,” Manager Clint Hurdle said of Alvarez.

Alvarez went 2-4 with 2 home runs, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 stolen base.

• The Pirates again received excellent starting pitching. Gerrit Cole went 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, while striking out 3 and walking 2. Cole threw 108 pitches, 73 for strikes.  He gave up a 2-run homer to Matt Carpenter in the 5th, one of the few mistakes he made. Cole  was hitting the upper 90’s, including 99. Cole was sharp and afterwards all he could do was praise Russell Martin and the work he does behind the plate. He’s a player who demands a lot from himself and you have to love the way he carries himself.
• Travis Ishikawa got his 4th straight start at first base and hit his first home run since May 2012, knocking in a solo homer in the 3rd off Shelby Miller.
• Starling Marte had 3 hits, including a triple. Alvarez, Russell Martin, Travis Snider, and Andrew McCutchen each had 2 hits in the game.
• Team officials can’t stop raving about reliever Bryan Morris. He threw another scoreless inning tonight. Martin threw 13 pitches, 10 for strikes.