The Pirates started their Opening-Day matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies with consecutive singles by Jose Tabata and Alex Presley, but then were no-hit for nine straight innings by Roy Halladay and Jonathan Papelbon, eventually losing 1-0.
Halladay pitched eight innings, striking out five. Pirates starter Erik Bedard had an excellent start himself, matching Halladay frame by frame until the seventh. He then allowed a single to Ty Wigginton and a double to John Mayberry, and Wigginton came home on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Ruiz as Tabata’s throw was just a bit late.
Chris Resop and Jose Cruz pitched scoreless innings after that, but the damage had already been done, and the Pirates’ offense slumbered the entire afternoon. Bedard took the loss despite allowing just one over seven innings, striking out four and walking one. It’s frustrating to see the Pirates’ offense produce practically nothing on Opening Day, but Bedard’s performance is a huge positive, and the Pirates can have success if he stays healthy and pitches half this well the rest of the season.
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