Cardinals-Pirates Preview (Yahoo Sports)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the last three years making believers out of everybody, even the schedule makers. The team that toiled in national anonymity for two decades will bat leadoff for Major League Baseball on Sunday when the Pirates host rival St. Louis in the opening game of the 2016 regular season. The significance isn't lost on a club that has undergone a pragmatic and thorough transformation under relentlessly optimistic manager Clint Hurdle, a ride that includes three consecutive playoff berths and the second-best record in the majors since the start of 2013.