Cardinals get to Liriano in rare subpar outing at home for the Pirates lefty

ST. LOUIS 6 – PITTSBURGH 1

Win: Joe Kelly (1-0)

Loss: Francisco Liriano (0-1

The St. Louis Cardinals (3-2) got to Francisco Liriano (0-1, 3.00 ERA) early in a rare subpar outing for the Pirates lefty at home in a 6-1 Pirates (3-2) loss.

The Cardinals jumped on Liriano and the Pirates, scoring three runs in the first inning and that’s all Cardinals starter Joe Kelly needed who allowed 1 run in 5 1/3 innings. The Pirates, though, were not table to take advantage of Kelly’s lack of command as he walked four batters and gave up six hits.

Pedro Alvarez was walked three times in his first three at-bats as the Cardinals don’t fear Russell Martin in the No. 5 hole.

As for Liriano, he allowed 7 hits, 4 earned runs in 6 innings pitched. He struck out 4 and walked 2. It marked just the second time in 15 career starts at PNC Park (including playoffs) that Liriano gave up more than 3 earned runs in a home start. The last time was against San Francisco on June 12, 2013, when Liriano allowed 8 hits and 4 earned runs in a Pirates 12-8 win over the Giants.