Pirates punchless against Cardinals

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t have asked for a better start to Friday night’s game.

Alex Presley led off the bottom of the first inning with an inside-the-park home run, a drive off the top of the center-field fence that just eluded a leaping Skip Schumaker. It was the Pirates’ second inside-the-park homer at PNC Park since it opened in 2001.

That was as good as it got for Pittsburgh. Lance Lynn allowed one run in seven innings, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-1 victory.

Filling in nicely for injured ace Chris Carpenter, Lynn (3-0) gave up four hits. He walked one and struck out four. He has won each of his starts and compiled a 1.42 ERA while Carpenter has been on the disabled list with a nerve problem in his pitching shoulder.

Jose Tabata followed Presley’s homer with a single, but Pittsburgh never put a runner in scoring position.

“You get an inside-the- park homer and drop a single to the next guy and we ended up with two more [hits]) the rest of the night,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was another strong outing for [Lynn]. You have to take the barrel to him. He doesn’t seem like he’s going to hurt himself.”

Jack Wilson hit the Pirates’ only other inside-the-park home run at PNC Park on July 2, 2004, and the last Pittsburgh player to hit one was Freddy Sanchez at Houston on July 21, 2008.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Presley said. “I thought I had a triple for sure, and when I saw him miss it, I think he got hurt out there and couldn’t get up, that helped my chances a bunch. It was one of those things.”

Schumaker, who said he thought he would be able to play tonight, was shaken up on the play and left the game.

Charlie Morton allowed two runs — one earned — and four hits in five innings with three walks and six strikeouts for the Pirates.