Joel Pineiro’s debut this season was not a good one on Sunday as the Cardinals lost the series finale in San Francisco, 7-4. Piniero lasted 3 2/3 innings giving up 6 runs on 10 hits.
The Giants scored five in the 4 th inning, an inning Pineiro did not finish. The man Pineiro replaced in the bullpen, Brad Thompson, pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief without a hit or run, though Thompson did walk three batters. That allowed St. Louis to get back in the game, and in fact the Cardinals had the go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth and the tying run to bat in the ninth.
After the first two batters reached base in the ninth, the Cardinals’ next two hitters took called third strikes. Ryan Ludwick took a pitch he believed was low for ball four, and Chris Duncan took a pitch that appeared to be outside. Rico Washington, who then misplayed a ball at third in that five run 4th inning flew out to right to end the game.
The Cardinals a half game ahead of Milwaukee in the Central after finishing the road trip 4-3. They open a three game series on Tuesday with the Brewers
