PITTSBURGH -- Pedro Alvarez mashed two home runs that travelled an estimated 831 feet Friday night. It was a series of sprints by the burly Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman, however, that ignited a 12-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Alvarez broke open a close game in the sixth by beating out a potential double play, followed it up with the fifth stolen base of his career then scored with a deft slide around St. Louis catcher Yadier Molinas tag that gave the Pirates the momentum they needed to pull away. "I thought the stolen base was key," manager Clint Hurdle said. "He puts a lot of focus on running the bases and hes arguably one of our best baserunners when hes on." It certainly looked like it, as Alvarezs outstretched left arm slid across the plate a split second before one of the games best defensive catchers could nab him. The Cardinals imploded from there as Shelby Miller (0-1) continued to struggle against Pittsburgh. Miller fell to 0-5 with a 5.92 ERA against the Pirates in his brief career after tying a career-high by allowing five runs in 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander is 16-5 with a 2.34 ERA in his 33 other major league appearances. "Its not the park. Its not the team. I just pitched poorly today," Miller said. "I guess it just lines up that way where I dont pitch well when I face them." Travis Ishikawa added his first major league home run in nearly two years for Pittsburgh. Gerrit Cole (1-0) gave up two runs in seven innings in his first start since losing the deciding Game 5 of the NL division series to St. Louis last October. Six months removed from a taut NLDS that pushed the eventual NL champions to the brink of elimination, the Pirates sent an early message they have no plans of going away. Cole is considered the ace in waiting after a stellar rookie season in which he was arguably Pittsburghs best pitcher over the final six weeks. Eager to take the next step in his development, the 23-year-old kept the Cardinals in check by mixing a fastball that consistently reaches the upper 90s with improved offspeed stuff. He also showcased some of his maturity, working out of a bases loaded situation in the fourth by getting Jhonny Peralta to fly out. His only mistake came in the fifth when Carpenter drilled a shot into the right field stands to pull the Cardinals to 3-2. Otherwise he teamed with catcher Russell Martin to keep St. Louis in check. "I think it was just a really well-played ballgame on our part," Cole said. "I cant say enough about what Russ did behind the plate. Not sure there are any other catchers in the entire world that could handle what I threw at him tonight." Pittsburghs offence -- which mustered all of 20 hits in 35 innings of a season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs -- made sure it didnt stay close for long after pounding out 16 hits in eight innings against the NL Central favourites. Alvarez began the year in a 1 for 15 slump but ended that with a home run to the gap in left-centre for his first home run of the season. He added his second two innings later with a long drive to right-centre that travelled an estimated 448 feet. His hustle down the first-base line in the sixth allowed Pittsburghs rally to continue and the Pirates pressed the advantage. Molina committed a rare error after Alvarezs slide, botching a potential rundown at third base when his throw hit Martin in the back and rolled into the stands. The miscue gave the Pirates a 5-2 lead and Pittsburgh poured it on in the late innings. NOTES: Ishikawas solo home run in the fourth was his first since May 15, 2012 while playing for the New York Yankees. ... The start of the game was delayed 1:05 by rain, the third straight game a Cardinals game was delayed by weather. ... Injured Cardinals 2B Mark Ellis is starting baseball activities but it remains uncertain when hell be ready to return from left knee tendinitis. Ellis went on the 15-day DL on March 27 and is eligible to return on April 11. ... The series continues on Saturday. RHP Joe Kelly will make his season debut for the Cardinals against Pittsburghs Francisco Liriano (0-0, 0.00). Destockage Chaussures Pas Cher . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more. Chaussures Pas Cher Chine . Mesoraco hurt his hamstring while scoring from second in Friday nights 5-4 loss at Atlanta. Chapman was hit by a line drive during an exhibition game on March 19, breaking his nose and a bone above his left eye. The left-hander looked strong while throwing 43 pitches in batting practice before Saturday nights game against the Braves. https://www.grossistechaussurepascher.fr...oldes-192a.html. Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff underlined the squads enormous potential on the Rettenbach glacier in Austria. Nike Air Max Pas Cher Chine .com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to play spoiler as the Los Angeles Kings will try to match their longest winning streak in over four years in Thursdays battle at Staples Center. Grossiste Chaussure Pas Cher . Cammalleri suffered a concussion in the Flames 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The 31-year-old forward did not travel with the team to Carolina.Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Stanley Johnson dropped a personal-best 22 points and No. 10 Arizona took care of business at McKale Center, beating Colorado 68-54 on Thursday. Johnson, who was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list on Wednesday, also contributed eight rebounds while shooting 8-for-9 from the foul line. Kaleb Tarczewski added 14 points and Elliott Pitts made four of his six 3- point attempts for 12 off the bench. Brandon Ashley had a game-high 11 rebounds and T.J. McConnell gave eight points, seven rebounds and six assists for Arizona (15-2, 3-1 Pac-12), which has won 31 straight home games. Askia Booker was tremendous in defeat, pouring in a career-high 30 points for Colorado (9-7, 2-2), which was without its second and third leading scorers. Center Josh Scott (back spasms) and forward Xavier Johnson (sprained ankle) were both inactive. No other Buffaloes scored in double figures. After a sluggish start, Arizonas offense came alive.dddddddddddd Tarczewski was the only Wildcat to score over the first 6 1/2 minutes before a Pitts 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 run. The hosts might have blown the game open had it not been for Booker. The senior scored 18 points over the first 20 minutes. His triple just before halftime pulled Colorado back within 10 points, 35-25, and ended a string of 12 straight points by the Wildcats. Booker hit again from deep early in the second, and Dustin Thomas went behind the back to Jaron Hopkins in transition for a dunk to make it a five-point game. Arizona scored seven in a row from there to regain control. The Wildcats led by as many as 17 points down the stretch. Game Notes Arizona guard Gabe York missed the game with a sprained ankle ... Booker shot 11-for-17 from the field and 6-of-9 from behind the arc ... Colorado is 0-5 on the road this season. ' ' '