Pittsburgh Pirates series takeaways vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Aug 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates teammates celebrate after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 10-5 at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Game Three: Francisco Liriano (7-6, 3.13ERA) vs. Lance Lynn (9-6, 2.76ERA)

Result: Pirates win 10-5

Winning Pitcher: Francisco Liriano (8-6, 3.19ERA

Losing Pitcher: Lance Lynn (9-7, 2.95ERA)

• What went right:
  • The offense exploded in the first inning for seven runs on seven hits and chased Lance Lynn after 0.2 innings.
  • Neil Walker was awesome as he went 3-5 with two RBI and a run scored.
  • Pedro Alvarez continues to be the biggest Cardinal-killer on the Pirates as he went 3-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored.
  • Tony Watson kept the game from getting away from the Pirates as he did his job for 1.2 scoreless innings.

• What went wrong:
  • The Pirates let the game get way too interesting as they didn’t score from the first inning until the ninth inning and the Cardinals were within two run.
  • Joakim Soria had his first really bad outing as a Pirate as he lasted 0.1 inning, allowed two runs on three hits.
  • Yadier Molina was big for the Cardinals as usual. He went 1-2 with a walk and three RBI.
  • Tyler Lyons really settled the game down and kept the Pirates in check as he went 5.1 innings, allowed zero runs on three hits and struck out two.

Next: Final Thoughts