ST. LOUIS -- In the first playoff game ever between two long-standing rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Chicago Cubs 4-0 Friday night, thanks to dominant starting pitching from veteran John Lackey, who allowed just two hits in seven-plus innings, and a big night from rookie Stephen Piscotty.
With the win, the Cardinals take a 1-0 lead in the National League Division Series. It’s the third straight year that St. Louis has won its opening playoff game.
Facing veteran lefty Jon Lester, St. Louis got all the offense it needed in the first inning when Piscotty sliced a one-out ground-rule double, then came around to score on an RBI single by Matt Holliday. Rookie Tommy Pham added a mammoth eighth-inning pinch-hit home run to give the Cardinals some breathing room. Two batters later, Piscotty launched a two-run bomb off reliever Pedro Strop to give St. Louis some added insurance. Closer Trevor Rosenthal allowed two baserunners in the ninth, but struck out three Cubs hitters to finish off the win.
Thumbs up: Piscotty had played in only one game since sustaining a concussion in a nasty outfield collision against the Pirates 12 days ago. On top of that, he was playing first base, a position where he’d started only eight games all season. Not that he seemed bothered by any of that. He finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and also made Lester throw eight pitches during a third-inning at-bat that ended in a K. With his eighth-inning blast, Piscotty became just the fifth player in Cardinals history to homer in his first postseason game (Pham was the fourth). Just for good measure, after being replaced by Mark Reynolds at first base to start the seventh, Piscotty logged two innings in right field, plus one in left.
Thumbs down: Catcher Yadier Molina, playing for the first time since tearing a ligament in his left thumb on Sept. 20, looked less than whole at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. On the whiff, which came in the second inning against Lester, Molina took all three strikes; the third one was an 88 mph cutter on which he appeared to basically surrender.
What’s next: They’ll wash, rinse and repeat in Saturday’s Game 2, with first pitch scheduled for 4:37 p.m. Central time. The Cardinals will send lefty Jaime Garcia to the mound. Although Garcia -- who missed a month earlier this season with a groin strain -- has not faced Chicago this season, historically the 29-year-old has excelled against the Cubs. In 36 innings over six career games (five starts), he’s 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA. He’ll be opposed by 25-year-old righty Kyle Hendricks, who just completed his first full season as a big league starter.