7 years agoAlthough he dealt with command issues early on, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Ivan Nova steadied himself and had a respectable outing against the Detroit Tigers on Friday. In his first Opening Day start, Nova lasted five innings and allowed two runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out four. It looked like his day may come to an early end, as he loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning. Nova worked out of the jam but allowed two runs in the second. From there, he gathered himself and got through the last three frames unharmed, though he had to work out of another bases-loaded, no-out situation in his final inning. Despite leaving with a 4-2 advantage, however, Nova was unable to pick up the win when the Pirates bullpen coughed up the lead in the seventh. He'll need to show more in his next outing to earn the trust of fantasy owners.--Matt Wilkes
Source: Pittsburgh Pirates