PITTSBURGH — Jordy Mercer singled in Gregory Polanco, who signed a five-year, $35 million contract extension earlier in the day, with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Tuesday night.
Polanco started the winning rally by drawing a one-out walk off Seth Maness (0-1). He moved to second on Josh Harrison’s infield single and scored on Mercer’s single to right field, the shortstop’s fourth career walk-off hit.
Kyle Lobstein (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, his first in the National League after being claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers in the offseason.
Andrew McCutchen had three of the Pirates’ 10 hits and David Freese and Harrison added two each. Polanco had two RBIs as Pittsburgh beat St. Louis for the second straight time in the season-opening, three-game series that ends Wednesday night.
St. Louis’ Jedd Gyorko, who belted a two-run homer, and Stephen Piscotty each had two hits. Matt Holliday drove in two runs despite going 0-for-4.
Aledmys Diaz and Jermey Hazelbaker each had their first major league hits for the Cardinals. Diaz, a shortstop making his debut after being called up from Triple-A Memphis a day earlier, singled in the third inning and Hazlebaker had a pinch-double in the ninth.
Both starting pitchers struggled in their first outings of the season.
Pirates left-hander Jon Niese, acquired from the New York Mets in an offseason trade, gave up five runs (four earned) and five hits in five innings, though he struck out seven and walked only one.
The Cardinals’ Michael Wacha was tagged for five runs (four earned) and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked one.
The Pirates pulled into a 5-5 tie with two runs in the bottom of the fifth.
The first run scored when Diaz booted Francisco Cervelli’s bases-loaded grounder. Polanco then delivered a sacrifice fly.
Gyorko’s third-inning, two-run homer down the left field line, the Cardinals’ first of the season, put St. Louis ahead 4-3.
St. Louis added a run an inning later when Piscotty led off with a triple and scored when Holliday reached on Mercer’s two-base throwing error.
The Pirates opened the scoring in the second. Polanco tripled in a run and scored on Harrison’s groundout.
The Cardinals answered with two runs in the third to tie it 2-2.
Diaz singled in his first plate appearance to lead off the inning and scored when left fielder Starling Marte overran Piscotty’s single for an error. Holliday followed with a run-producing groundout.
McCutchen’s RBI double in the bottom of the third put the Pirates up 3-2.
NOTES: Pirates RF Gregory Polanco officially signed his five-year, $35 million contract extension that was agreed upon during the weekend. The deal will be worth $58 million if the Pirates exercise club options for 2022 and 2023 and the total of the value could max out at $60 million if the 24-year-old triggers all of the escalator clauses. … Cardinals SS Alemdys Diaz was in the lineup for his major league debut, a day after being recalled from Triple-A Memphis when OF Tommy Pham was placed on the 15-day disabled list. INF Jeff Gyorko started at shortstop on Sunday in the opening-day loss to the Pirates as SS Jhonny Peralta (torn left thumb ligament) and SS Ruben Tejada (left quadriceps strain) began the season on the DL. … Pham (strained left oblique) is expected to sit out a month after leaving Sunday’s game in the second inning. … Cardinals C Brayan Pena underwent arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday to remove loose bodies from his left knee and is expected to out for approximately one month. … Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole, who likely would have started the opener after a 19-win season, will make his 2016 debut on Saturday at Cincinnati. The Pirates opted to have Cole make an extra spring training start — he worked six innings on Saturday in a minor league game — after being slowed at the start of camp with a strained ribcage. … Cardinals RHP Mike Leake (11-10, 3.70 ERA in 2015) and Pirates RHP Juan Nicasio (1-3, 3.86 ERA in 2015) will debut for their new teams on Wednesday night after being signed as free agents when they face off in the finale of the three-game series. Leake signed a five-year, $80 million contact and Nicasio was inked to a one-year, $3 million deal.