ending last season with a bad taste in their mouth, the San Diego Padres opened the 2011 campaign against the team that ended their last two playoff runs.

Despite having only one win in their last 13 meetings in St. Louis, the Padres got off on the right foot against a familiar foe.

After three forgettable at-bats out of the eighth spot in the Padres' lineup, offseason acquisition Cameron Maybin tied the game with a two-out solo home run in the ninth inning. 

Maybin then grounded a single that led to the go-ahead run in the 11th inning on Thursday in the 5-3 victory.

"We fight, we claw, we hang around," Maybin told the Associated Press. "We find a way to do it."

One huge reason why the Padres were able to hang around was because of their ability to shut down Albert Pujols (0-for-5), who grounded into a career-worst three double plays and left five men on base.

Compare that to Pujols’ Opening Day in 2010: 4-for-5, ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - MLB By Darren Feeney