Behind Wainwright on the bump, Heyward at the dish, Cards top Cubs

CHICAGO --€“ Another year, another impressive performance under pressure from the Cardinals' ace.

Adam Wainwright put to rest any questions about health concerns carrying over from an abdominal injury early in spring training by shutting out the Chicago Cubs for six innings in a 3-0 Opening Night win at Wrigley Field. The right-hander made only two starts in Florida, but he looked strong through 101 pitches as he extended his scoreless streak in the first game of the season to 14 innings, dating back to 2013.

"(I'm) real impressed by the way (Wainwright) went about his business and set the tone," manager Mike Matheny said. "Obviously, the offense helped set that tone early getting some runs on the board, but Adam having some tough spots, having to work out of some trouble, and that's what he does so well."

The Cubs went 0 for 13 with runners on base and 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position, including all six of Wainwright's strikeouts. He also didn't give up a walk.

Relatively cold temperatures as compared to spring training kept Wainwright from finding his curveball and fastball for the game's first two innings, but Matheny said a strong cutter kept hitters off-balance and got his starter out of jams. He eventually found all his pitches and threw some nasty curveballs to notch strikeouts later in his outing.

"When I'm throwing good quality pitches early in the count, I'm thinking that they're going to get out on that pitch," Wainwright said. "I'm not thinking about strike three before I get strike one, so I was fortunate to throw some good pitches when I needed to throw some good pitches."

Giving up three leadoff doubles in the first five innings is a recipe for disaster, and the Cubs hit some balls hard right at defenders. But good pitches to hit were still rare against Wainwright.

When the Cardinals find themselves in trouble or playing on a big stage, there's no one better to have on the mound.

3 UP

• Heyward starts hot. The Cardinals' biggest signing of the offseason wasted no time rewarding his new team.

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Jason Heyward lined the second pitch he saw from Jon Lester into right field for a double, the first of three hits in three at-bats against the Cubs' big free-agent signing. Heyward scored the game's first run, stole a base and looked like a perfect fit between third baseman Matt Carpenter and left fielder Matt Holliday at the top of the lineup.

"Selfishly, I'm a lucky guy to hit between those two," Heyward said. "Holliday can do damage and Carpenter can see so many pitches and has good ABs. I'm going to be kind of spoiled hitting between them."

The 25-year-old former Brave could be due for a breakout season after hitting .271 with a career-low 11 home runs last season. Atlanta traded Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden in November for starting pitcher Shelby Miller and pitching prospect Tyrell Jenkins.

St. Louis hopes to get a solid combination of speed and power from Heyward, who stole 30 bases a year ago.

• Carpenter sets the tone. One of the National League's best leadoff hitters last season picked up where he left off to start 2015.

Carpenter singled twice and scored against Lester to spark an offense that's eager to show improvement. The left-handed hitter demonstrated the patience at the plate that gave him a team-best .375 on-base percentage a year ago as he saw at least five pitches in four of five at-bats.

That's a valuable asset with two capable run producers behind him in Heyward and Holliday.

Carpenter, who also led the team with 99 runs in 2014, scored his first run of the season in the fifth inning.

• Stress-free bullpen. The Cardinals' bullpen made sealing Wainwright's win look easy against a Cubs offense many project to be one of the best in baseball.

They couldn't get the ball out of the infield, much less find a hit against three St. Louis relievers with Carlos Martinez, Walden and Trevor Rosenthal all pitching a scoreless inning with at least one strikeout.

Pinch hitter Arismendy Alcantara drew a walk in the seventh and advanced to second on a passed ball, but that would be as close as Chicago would get to cutting into the lead.

Even the occasionally wild Rosenthal looked in complete control, striking out the side in order to earn his first save.

Martinez won't be available once the schedule gets busier and St. Louis needs him as a fifth starter, but the addition of Walden and others could mean a deeper, more effective bullpen.

3 DOWN

• Not cleaning up. Few teams put their shortstop in the cleanup spot, and the rare move didn't pay off for St. Louis.

Jhonny Peralta went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and a pop-up in his first three at-bats, leaving four runners stranded, including three in scoring position. Then again, the more likely candidate for the spot, first baseman Matt Adams, may have been even worse. He endured an 0-for-4 night that saw him make the third out with runners on in three innings.

It's not as if Peralta hasn't had success batting fourth, considering he hit .270 with four home runs and 14 RBIs as the cleanup hitter last year. He also led the team with 21 home runs, and it should be noted he finally singled when he got a chance to hit with the bases empty Sunday night.

• Molina mistakes. It's not often Yadier Molina looks average or below behind the plate.

The Cardinals' All-Star catcher made his 11th consecutive start in the season's first game, and it wasn't his best. Tommy La Stella stole second on the Cubs' lone attempt, thanks in part to an inaccurate throw, and Molina was charged with a passed ball on a pitch from Martinez in the seventh inning, something that happened only three times last season.

Needless to say, though, St. Louis won't be concerned with a rare off-night from the National League's Gold Glove winner for the last seven years.

• Under construction. An otherwise perfect Opening Night felt a little empty amid ongoing renovations at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs showed off their massive new videoboard in left field, with some touching tributes to Ernie Banks before and during the game. But it hardly made up for the absence of Wrigley's iconic bleachers. Several tarps with Banks' ever-smiling face mostly covered up the framework of the new bleachers, something Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak noted before the game might not be so bad.

"As Matt Holliday said, it should be a little quieter out there, so all good," he said with a smile.

You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.