In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
Things were quite soggy in the midwest yesterday as games in both Detroit and Cincinnati were postponed. As a result, the Tigers, Pirates, Reds, and Nationals will all have Opening Day today. Play ball. First pitch for the Pirates at Tigers will be at 1:10.
The rest of the NL Central
The Chicago Cubs got their season started off with a bang as Ian Happ send the first pitch of the 2018 season into the right field seats. The Cubs defeated the Miami Marlins 8-4. Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber also went deep. A strong offensive output combined with solid bullpen pitching masked an unimpressive start from Jon Lester. He lasted just 3.1 IP, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He struck out two and walked three.
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the San Diego Padres 2-1 in 12 innings. Chase Anderson had a solid start for the Brewers giving up one hit and zero runs over six innings. With a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning, Corey Knebel came in for the save and blew it. Orlando Arcia eventually hit the go-ahead RBI single in the twelfth.
The St. Louis Cardinals lost to the New York Mets 9-4. Carlos Martinez surrendered four earned runs over 4.1 innings, walking six batters. He was tagged with the loss. Mets’ ace Noah Synedergaard struck out 10 batters over six innings pitched and walked zero. He gave up four earned runs on six hits. Four Mets had multi-hit games.
Walk-offs galore
There were three walk-off hits on Opening Day.
Baltimore Orioles’ outfielder Adam Jones got things started with a game-ending home run against the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the eleventh inning.
Nick Markakis smashed a three-run tater in the bottom of the ninth to help the Atlanta Braves defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-5. The Phillies decided to intentionally walk Freddie Freeman to get to Markakis.
Finally, the Oakland A’s got a walk-off single from Marcus Semien to help them defeat the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 in eleven innings.
Pirates Guide – the perfect gift for a Pittsburgh Pirates fan
Our 280-page Pittsburgh Pirates 2018 season preview book is now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback formats! CLICK HERE to learn more. Makes a perfect gift for any Pirates fan in your life.
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