Astros rally past Pirates
HOUSTON (AP) – Jeff Bagwell’s RBI single capped a six-run, eighth-inning rally as the Houston Astros defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-9 Tuesday night. Lance Berkman hit a solo home run, and Morgan Ensberg added a three-run pinch-hit homer for the Astros, who won after coming back from a deficit of five or more runs for the fourth time this season.
Trailing 9-4 in the eighth, Houston loaded the bases with no outs. Scott Sauerbeck (0-3) then came out of the Pittsburgh bullpen and threw 10 straight balls, walking Greg Zaun and Brian Hunter, to make the score 9-6. He then gave up a two-run single to Orlando Merced.
Geoff Blum hit a sacrifice fly off reliever Mike Williams to tie the score before Bagwell’s single scored Merced with the winning run.
Nate Bland (1-0) recorded his first major league victory with two innings of scoreless relief. Billy Wagner pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight opportunities.
Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead in the first inning after Reggie Sanders and Jason Kendall walked and scored on a double by Randall Simon. Aramis Ramirez drove in Simon with a sacrifice fly.
The Pirates increased their lead to 5-0 in the second on a two-run single by Sanders.
Berkman led off the Houston second with his fourth home run of the season to cut the Astros’ deficit to 5-1.
Ensberg’s pinch-hit home run cut the Pittsburgh lead to 5-4 in the fourth. It was Ensberg’s first major league pinch-hit homer.
Pittsburgh increased its lead to 7-4 in the fifth on a two-run double by Ramirez.
The Pirates added two runs in the sixth on solo home runs by Kenny Lofton and Sanders.
NOTES: Houston relievers had pitched 13.1 scoreless innings before Pete Munro game up two runs to the Pirates in the fifth inning. … Bagwell has played 41 consecutive games without an error. … Houston manager Jimy Williams was ejected in the first inning by home plate umpire Ted Barrett after arguing a called third strike on Bagwell. Williams was replaced by bench coach John Tamargo. … Pittsburgh homered 10 times in its first four games, but has hit only 11 in its last 28 games … Hidalgo advanced to second base in the second inning after Kendall mistakenly tossed the ball to Barrett following a strikeout by Houston’s Adam Everett. Kendall apparently thought it was the third out, but it was only the second.