Pirates/St. Louis Gameday Notes

Pittsburgh (KDKA)- Considering the Pirates won only 4 road series and a total of 17 road games all of last season, it was a great start in Chicago.

Tonight the team is in St. Louis and winning a series at Busch Stadium will be a difficult task. The Bucs were 1-5 vs. St. Louis last season.

Here are some other gameday notes:

*Pitching matchup tonight is Charlie Morton vs. RHP Kyle Lohse (5-1 lifetime vs. Pirates). The Cardinals have a lifetime .359 average vs. Morton, that's higher than any other team.

*The status of Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen is uncertain for tonight. He missed yesterday's game vs. Chicago with a stiff neck. McCutchen injured himself diving for a ball in Saturday's game.

*How good has Joel Hanrahan looked in his first two games this season? Throwing a consistent 98 MPH and throwing plenty of strikes. At times, Hanrahan looks unhittable.

*Great start for the top of the Pirates lineup.
-Jose Tabata: .455 average, .582 on-base pct, 5 runs scored
-Neil Walker: .308 average, 3 runs, 5 RBI's
-Pedro Alvarez: .308 average, 4 RBI's

*RHP Tim Alderson, the main player acquired in the Freddy Sanchez trade, won't be a starter for the Altoona Curve. The Pirates announced he'll start the year pitching out of the bullpen.