PITTSBURGH • Adam Wainwright, who had won Cardinals shutouts in opening day games the previous two seasons, nearly took part in another one on Sunday. But this time, Wainwright was on the other end as Pittsburgh lefthander Francisco Liriano fanned 10 Cardinals over six innings and the Redbirds struck out 14 times overall in a 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh, scoring only in the ninth on Matt Carpenter's two-out single.
Wainwright allowed two runs in the second and another in the sixth before Seth Maness was nicked for a run in the eighth. Wainwright had thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings in shutout wins at Cincinnati and Chicago the last two seasons.