Cardinals Ace Wainwright Wastes Pirates in Game 5

This pretty much sums up the night for the Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates long-awaited return to the MLB postseason ended on Wednesday night in a 6-1 loss to the division rival St. Louis Cardinals. It took them 21 years to get back to the postseason and just six games to exit.

Prior to the game you got the sense that things were lining up for the Cards, in much the same way they lined up for the Buccos against the Cincinnati Reds in their Wildcard playoff game last week.

Although this season the Pirates were 12-11 against them, the Cardinals had scored more runs in those 23 games and were absolutely dominant at home. Not only did the Pirates have to play a decisive Game 5 in St. Louis, they had to face a Adam Wainwright on the mound, a familiar and formidable foe.

One of the preeminent pitchers in the game—if not the definitive best—Wainwright nearly blanked the Buccos in Game 1, giving up a single run in seven innings and striking out nine en route to a 9-1 blowout. He came into the game undefeated in his last five starts with an ERA of 1.71.

Not only that, but Wainwright was also previously undefeated 3-0 in postseason play—obviously now he’s an undefeated 4-0.

These battle tested Cardinals know how to win in the postseason, unlike the Pirates, many of whom were in diapers the last time this team was there back in 1992. They’re 4-1 in winner-take-all games in the last two seasons and 7-1 in franchise history when playing at home in St. Louis.

Overall it added up to less than ideal circumstances for the Buccos, who seemed destined for a letdown after failing to clinch in Game 4. That being said, even in defeat, fans in Pittsburgh have a lot more to be optimistic about than say…fans of the Atlanta Braves.

[Sorry, Braves fans]

The Pirates did lose the game and the series, but at least they sorta won the season. This team’s tragically terrible last two decades made it so that even finishing above .500 was a moral victory, let alone being stopped just one game short of the NLCS.

Now all they have to do is repeat it a few more times, because there are no more moral victories to be had here.