ST. LOUIS — Pirates manager Clint Hurdle didn’t personally relay the story of A.J. Burnett getting roughed up in St. Louis last year to Francisco Liriano before Wednesday’s start against the Cardinals, but Hurdle had a feeling someone had recounted the tale to the left-hander.
Burnett pitched May 2, 2013, at St. Louis, was shelled for 12 runs in 22⁄3 innings, then gave up two runs in eight innings in his next start — and didn’t lose again until July 15.
On Wednesday, Liriano rebounded from his career-worst performance Friday in Colorado in impressive fashion, helping the Pirates snap a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory at Busch Stadium.
Five nights after giving up 10 runs and 12 hits in 21⁄3 innings, he pitched a complete game. The Cardinals had three singles in the first four innings, but after that, Liriano gave them nothing more until the ninth.
Liriano lost his bid for a shutout on Carlos Beltran’s RBI groundout, but Liriano pitched his second complete game of the year and third of his career. The win helped the Pirates restore their three-game lead over the Cardinals in the National League Central.
“It’s a beautiful footprint to follow,” Hurdle said of Burnett’s response after his outing against the Cardinals.
Pedro Alvarez, who has been a terror against the Cardinals the past two years but is batting just .189 since the All-Star break, hit a home run an estimated at 440 feet to center field off right-hander Shelby Miller in the second. Garrett Jones hit his 11th homer of the season and first since July 21 in the same inning to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
The Pirates went ahead, 5-0, in the fourth inning. Neil Walker led off with a single, extending his season-high hitting streak to nine games. Cardinals third baseman David Freese bobbled a sharply hit ball by Jones and was charged with an error. Had he handled it cleanly, the Cardinals likely would have gotten a double play, but instead the Pirates had runners on first and second with no outs.
Andrew Lambo, making his second major league start in right field, flied out to center. Tony Sanchez bounced a single into left, scoring Walker. After Liriano’s sacrifice bunt, Jones and Sanchez scored on Starling Marte’s hustling double, just beating the throw at second.
Liriano is the first Pirates pitcher to earn a decision in each of his first 17 starts since Vern Law, who had a decision in his first 19 in 1965. Liriano is one win shy of matching a career high of 14 victories, set in 2010 with Minnesota when he was named American League Comeback Player of the Year. He is 7-3 in 10 starts this season against the NL Central.
