Pirates rally to defeat Brewers in 11 innings
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The circumstances change yet the results stay the same – the Milwaukee Brewers don’t win in Pittsburgh. Craig Wilson lined a bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 9-8 win over the Brewers on Saturday night.
The Pirates have won all five games against the Brewers this season and are 11-1 against them at PNC Park over the last two seasons.
Milwaukee manager Jerry Royster dismissed any notion that those statistics are the result of anything but good baseball in Saturday’s game.
“Do you know how hard it is to do what they did?” Royster said. “It wasn’t like we walked them. They hit.”
Jack Wilson opened the inning with a double for his first career four-hit game. Jason Kendall singled off the body of pitcher Ray King (1-2) and Brian Giles was intentionally walked.
With Pittsburgh’s bench depleted, pitcher Kip Wells pinch-hit and struck out. Wilson then hit a 0-1 pitch to left to give the Pirates their second consecutive win.
“It was a big night for the Wilson boys,” Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. “They really came up with some big hits.
Pittsburgh had been 0-30 when trailing after eight innings.
“Our guys always felt they could still win this,” McClendon said. “You have to be impressed with their effort.”
Brian Boehringer (1-1), the Pirates’ fifth pitcher, got the win with 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief. It was his first victory since July 18, 1999, at Anaheim while with the San Diego Padres.
The Pirates scored a run in the ninth to tie it at 8. Giles drew a walk to load the bases with one out and Aramis Ramirez followed with a sacrifice fly off Mike DeJean.
Giles hit a three-run homer in the seventh that pulled Pittsburgh to 8-7. His 15th home run came against Glendon Rusch.
Tyler Houston and Geoff Jenkins hit three-run doubles in consecutive innings to give the Brewers an 8-4 lead.
Pittsburgh starter Kris Benson had two outs, the bases empty and a 4-1 lead in the fifth when the Brewers came up with four runs.
Eric Young and Jenkins singled and Richie Sexson was hit by a pitch. Matt Stairs walked to force in a run before Houston cleared the bases with a double off the center-field wall.
“Kris was really throwing the ball well, then all of a sudden he lost his command,” McClendon said.
In the sixth, a pair of walks and a single by Alex Sanchez set up Jenkins’ double.
The Pirates had a four-run second, helped by sloppy defense that contributed two unearned runs. With the bases loaded, Pokey Reese hit a fly ball that Sanchez dropped.
Sanchez opened the game with a triple and scored on a groundout.
Royster had more to worry about than Saturday’s result. Catcher Paul Bako injured his right hand diving into first on a pickoff try and left the game in the sixth.
“It doesn’t look good,” Royster said. “He’ll see a doctor tomorrow.”
Royster also said that reliever Chad Fox will head back to Milwaukee Sunday to have his ailing right shoulder examined. Fox reported some discomfort after working an inning Friday night. He has made three appearances since he came off the disabled list.
NOTES: The Brewers are 1-7 in extra-inning games while the Pirates are 2-0. … Benson pitched five innings. He lasted more than 3 2-3 innings for just the second time in five starts. He is coming back from reconstructive elbow surgery. … Giles has reached base in 22 consecutive games. … The crowd of 38,244, lured in part by a postgame fireworks show, was the Pirates’ largest of the season and fifth biggest in two seasons at PNC Park.