Arizona fell behind on back-to-back doubles in the first inning, but Ian Kennedy settled down very well after that, holding the Cardinals to five hits and a walk in his seven innings, with eight strikeouts. He was followed to the mound by David Hernandez and Brad Ziegler, who combined to retire all six hitters they faced over the final two innings, in front of a full house at Chase Field.
On offense, the replacement outfielders were particularly impressive. Gerardo Parra led the way, becoming the first Diamondback since Steve Finley in 2000 to have four hits on Opening Day. However, A.J. Pollock was not far behind, with three hits and two runs driven in, and there were multi-hit games for Martin Prado, Aaron Hill and Jason Kubel. Paul Goldschmidt reached safely twice, with a hit and his first intentional walk of the season.
The Arizona streak of seven consecutive Opening Day victories is tied with the Mariners for the best active run in the majors. There'll be a full recap up in a little bit. Where did I put my happy Swedish techno?