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Clint Hurdle and Francisco Cervelli argue in the second inning after both were ejected. -- JARED WICKERHAM / GETTY

Final: Pirates 6, Cardinals 5, 14 innings

by • Game previews

By Dejan Kovacevic
Looking ahead to first pitch…

Game: Pirates (51-35) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (56-31), 7:15 p.m., PNC Park

Pitchers: RHP A.J. Burnett (7-3, 1.99) vs. RHP John Lackey (7-5, 3.09)

TV, radio: Fox, 93.7 The Fan

Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Media notes

Update 3:41 p.m.: Starling Marte is back in the Pirates’ lineup, as he told us last night he expected to be. He hasn’t played since Sunday because of discomfort in his left side.

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Neil Walker celebrates his two-run home run in the third inning with Chris Stewart Friday night. -- GETTY

Column: Who needs the little things? Go big!

by • Columns •

By Dejan Kovacevic
There are, by my count, three surefire ways for St. Louis’ opponents to cope with the Tony La Russa mystique, the Tom Emanski fundamentals and all else that accompanies the seemingly invincible aura of the Cardinals Being The Cardinals:

1. Throw the ball hard.

2. Hit the ball harder.

3. Revisit those first two, or be prepared to lose by a single run because someone on your side did something stupid on one small play and the Cardinals, naturally, didn’t.

Well, those first two options are easier deliberated than delivered. If everyone could pitch and hit with power, here’s guessing they probably would.

But man, tell me it didn’t feel like the Pirates finally found something resembling a formula — no, a realistic formula — to solve their first-place nemesis in flat-out overpowering St. Louis, 5-2, Friday night at PNC Park.

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Saturday Site Stuff: One week till Lunatic Bash

by • Site stuff •

By Dejan Kovacevic
In exactly one week, next Saturday at 5 p.m., we’ll have our one-year anniversary Lunatic Bash at Highmark Stadium, and here’s everything you need to know to attend:

saturday_site_stuff me-3

• All subscribers are welcome, not just Lunatic or three-year subscribers. No need for verification, either. When you show up, let us know why you’re there. Simple.

• Park in Highmark Stadium’s West lot. It’s $5, unfortunately, as all lots in the area are operated by Station Square, but we’ll try to make it more than worth your while.

• Each subscriber can get up to two tickets to the Riverhounds-Louisville match that follows at 7 p.m., thanks to our friends at Allegheny Health Network. No hard process there, either. Show up, find our people in the lot wearing silly DK stuff, and they’ll hand you tickets.

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Gerrit Cole pitched seven innings and allowed only Matt Carpenter's two-run home run Friday. -- GETTY

Pitching ‘gets it done’ with Cole, bullpen

by • Coverage •

BylinesNATE-1

In the third inning of the Pirates’ 5-2 victory over the Cardinals Friday night at PNC Park, Matt Carpenter drilled a two-run home run to center field. Gerrit Cole let a backdoor slider catch too much of the plate, the kind of mistake no pitcher can afford against a hitter of that caliber. And as the ball sailed over the fence, a collective here-we-go-again sentiment undoubtedly settled over a sellout crowd.

But it dissipated almost as quickly when the offense regained the lead in the home third, and Cole gave up nothing else in seven innings — two runs, six hits three strikeouts — to improve to 13-3, the winningest record in Major League Baseball.

“He got one pitch in a hot area,” Clint Hurdle said of Cole’s lone lapse. “He rode it out of the ballpark.”

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The Pirates stretch by the cage under cloudy skies early Friday evening. -- NATE BARNES

Final: Pirates 5, Cardinals 2

by • Game previews

BylinesNATE-1
Four hours to first pitch…

Game: Pirates (50-35) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (56-30), 7:07 p.m., PNC Park

Pitchers: RHP Gerrit Cole (12-3, 2.28) vs. RHP Lance Lynn (6-4, 2.53)

TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan

Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Media notes

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Official Twitter account of the U.S. Women's National Team, circa Wednesday morning. -- TWITTER

Anna’s Web: A championship shared by us all

by • Columns • , , ,

Bylinesanna

Welcome to a brand new segment, by me, your friendly neighborhood Social Media Director. Anna’s Web will be a snapshot of what our ever-so-opinionated Internet friends are saying about the big sports news of the week. We’ll have highlights from all over cyberspace — Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, even Facebook. The goal of this segment is to engage with our readers, and with the sports community, as a whole.

Annasweb

This week, we focus on our strong and inspiring U.S. Women’s National Team, winners of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. These women have a huge presence and following on social media, making them the perfect first subject.

Plus, I really love them.

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Intrepid reporter Matt Gajtka travels to Toronto to talk to a hot dog vendor. For big news. -- MATT GAJTKA

Friday Insider: Hot dog vendor tale chewed up

by • Friday Insider • , , ,

BylinesMATT
TORONTO — When visiting a vibrant, diverse metropolis, there’s much to see. That means plenty of walking, which can work up a hearty appetite.

Luckily, on Thursday afternoon, I happened upon a food vendor at the corner of Front and John streets, near the CN Tower and Rogers Centre, and wait … isn’t this …?

Turner's

Yes, it is! It’s the hot dog stand Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons infamously identified last week as Phil Kessel’s favorite spot for a midday snack during his time with the Maple Leafs!

All right, time for full disclosure: I didn’t haphazardly come upon the stand, unironically named Ted’s Gourmet. In fact, I planned my sightseeing day around it, even though the Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets essentially debunked Simmons’ claim with a little bit of research. (It helped that my wife was curious, too.)

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Gregory Polanco is tagged out at home by Yadier Molina in the first inning. -- JARED WICKERHAM / GETTY

Column: Because … because … oh, you know

by • Columns •

By Dejan Kovacevic
Because they’re the Cardinals, that’s why.

Really, it isn’t any more complicated or confounding than that. No matter how much anyone might examine all the minutiae of the Pirates’ latest defeat at the hands of their Arch nemesis, this by a 4-1 count Thursday night at PNC Park, it all still fits within that same framework up there.

They’re just the Cardinals, and the Cardinals just do what they do.

Rip Gregory Polanco all you want for inexplicably stutter-stepping off third base in the first inning — when he should have just hauled tail upon Andrew McCutchen’s bouncer to third with men at the corners and nobody out — but the fundamental fact remains that St. Louis executed perfectly: Mark Reynolds looked at Polanco, flung to second for the force, and Matt Carpenter, seeing Polanco finally break for home, fired a strike to Yadier Molina for the swift, smooth tag.

That’s 5-4-2 with the brightest of stars scratched next to it.

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Jordy Mercer's error would lead to three unearned St. Louis runs in the fifth. -- JARED WICKERHAM / GETTY

Pirates buoyed by having big three up next

by • Coverage •

Nate-Josh
Jeff Locke started strong Thursday night in the Pirates’ 4-1 loss to the Cardinals at PNC Park, but he was derailed by a fifth inning in which St. Louis scored four runs, three of which were unearned after Jordy Mercer booted a potential double-play ball.

That was that.

But the Pirates are in still in good shape heading into the weekend: Staff ace Gerrit Cole pitches Friday, A.J. Burnett goes Saturday and Francisco Liriano closes out the first half of the season Sunday. With the team’s big three lined up against the only team in baseball with more wins, all concerned have to feel pretty good, right?

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Podcast: Kessel, Pirates on TSN 1290 Winnipeg

by • Podcasts • , ,

By Dejan Kovacevic
Here’s the podcast of my appearance just now with my friend Andrew Paterson at Winnipeg’s TSN 1290 Radio, talking Phil Kessel trade, the resurrection of baseball in Pittsburgh and more.

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