Matt Freed, Post-Gazette The Cardinals' Gary Bennett signals to the umpire that he's safe at home plate in front of catcher Ronny Paulino in the 12th inning last night at PNC Park. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: Pirates Notebook: Team never considered time switch Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic Bob Smizik: It's April, and LaRoche is slumping on schedule TODAY Opponent: St. Louis Cardinals (4-4) Time: 12:35 p.m. Site: PNC Park Radio: WPGB-FM (104.7) Starters: LHP Paul Maholm (0-1, 7.20) vs. RHP Adam Wainwright (1-0, 1.29). Key matchup: The Pirates vs. another recently converted reliever making his second major-league start. That scenario did not play out so well Monday when Braden Looper blanked them through seven innings. Wainwright was St. Louis' closer last season. Of note: The Pirates have stolen one base all season, that on Chris Duffy's -- and the team's -- lone attempt.

There was much to dislike about the Pirates' thoroughly distasteful 3-2, 12-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals last night at PNC Park.

Like how another terrific start, seven shutout innings by Tom Gorzelanny, was wasted.

Like how the offense threw away chance after to chance to put it away.

Like how two dubious throws by left fielder Jason Bay and a drop of the second of those by catcher Ronny Paulino led to the decisive run.

But take it from closer Salomon Torres: Nothing else would have mattered if not for his first blown save.

"It's not about what we could have done in this inning or that inning. ... No. I should have saved the game for us," Torres said. "We had the lead in the ninth inning, by two runs. ... I totally didn't do the job. I take full responsibility. It was a poor performance on my part."

Few in the sparse crowd -- no more than 5,000 out of an announced 12,468 -- would dispute it.

The Pirates took a 2-0 lead into that ninth, built on Gorzelanny limiting St. Louis to four hits and allowing just one runner to touch second base, on Jose Bautista's fifth-inning home run and Bay's RBI single the next inning that brought two runs, and on Matt Capps' scoreless eighth.

"Tom Gorzelanny was terrific," manager Jim Tracy said.

Torres was 4 for 4 in saves this season, 12 for 13 in 2006, but it was obvious right away he would have trouble.

David Eckstein fouled off three 2-2 pitches, then dropped a leadoff single into left field. Chris Duncan drew a five-pitch walk.

The uh-oh factor was raised dramatically with Albert Pujols up next, even more when Pujols lifted a towering drive to left.

Bay had enough room at the track to catch it, but he was deep enough that Eckstein decided to try to take third, following many teams' lead of running liberally on Bay's arm. And it paid off two ways: One, Eckstein was safe when Bay's throw went to cutoff man Jack Wilson, positioned behind third base. Two, the throw should have gone to second -- as Tracy made clear after the game -- to keep the tying run from reaching scoring position.

"Once the runner at first sees the throw going to third, he is going to step up and take that extra base," Tracy said.

Next was Scott Spiezio, a last-minute replacement for St. Louis cleanup man Scott Rolen, who had back spasms. Spiezio took a pitch for a ball, then knifed a flat sinker into right field to tie the score.

"That's the pitch I'm kicking myself for," Torres said. "I wanted to give him something better than a cookie."

The Pirates would have plenty of chances to bail out Torres, but the bats stayed silent when it counted.

The first two men reached in the 10th, but Wilson bunted right into St. Louis' wheel play for an easy forceout at third. Freddy Sanchez and Bay struck out swinging.

Of the bunt, which brought a loud groan from the crowd, Tracy said, "They knew we wanted to bunt there, obviously, to give Freddy and Jason a chance to bring those runs in. But they defended it well."

Two more reached after one out in the 11th, but Bautista and Brad Eldred popped out.

Shawn Chacon kept the Pirates alive with scoreless relief in those two innings, but some lousy luck for John Wasdin -- not one ball was struck solidly off him -- and more shoddy defense undid that in the 12th.

Gary Bennett got the inning going with a one-out bloop to center, and Aaron Miles lofted a double to left. Yadier Molina was intentionally walked to fill the bases for Skip Schumaker.

Wasdin got Schumaker to hit a high pop to shallow left, and it appeared there might be no damage. But the Cardinals again tested Bay's arm, and it again reaped a reward.

Bay failed to get a running start, then threw a two-hopper to the plate. Still, it was on line and in time to get Bennett.

But, just as Paulino was about to tag Bennett, the ball squirted loose, as it has done often in the early going this season.

"I had it for just a second," Paulino said. "It was bang-bang, and then it was out."

Of the defensive miscues in general, Tracy said, "There were things that we didn't do that you have to do to win a game like this."

Another, of course, is to hit the ball. The Pirates have scored just 26 runs in starting the year 4-4, an average of 3.25 per game. They are batting .222 overall and .190 with runners in scoring position, including 1 for 9 last night.

Most painful, perhaps, is that they are faltering against starters they probably should be hitting. In the home opener Monday, it was converted reliever Braden Looper. Last night, it was emergency minor-league callup Randy Keisler going six innings and allowing two runs, at one point coasting through 12 consecutive batters.

Things are becoming dire enough that Tracy first dropped cleanup man Adam LaRoche to sixth in the order for the first time, then replaced him with Eldred after his 0-for-4 night pushed his average down to .097.

Still, Tracy sounded optimistic the offense will come around.

"I don't see us getting ourselves out," he said. "We're just not centering on the ball like several players in that lineup are capable."

And Torres?

He has until this afternoon to wipe away the memory of this one.

"No, I already did," he said. "I know what they did to beat me. I want the ball tomorrow. I want the same situation. And the outcome is going to be different."