Bullpen lifts Padres past Pirates
PITTSBURGH – On a day that featured decidedly imperfect pitching, the San Diego got a big lift from a bullpen that was nearly flawless. Gary Matthews Jr. homered and Mark Loretta drove in three runs during a four-hit day as the Padres’ bullpen finished up with 3 2-3 scoreless innings in a 10-7 victory Thursday over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Padres rallied from three runs down to open an 8-4 lead on Matthews’ two-run homer, then withstood consecutive homers by Jose Hernandez and Craig Wilson off Adam Easton to open the Pirates’ sixth.
Matt Stairs also had a three-run shot off Eaton (6-7), who got the victory despite allowing six runs and six hits in five innings. The last-place Padres completed a winning July (14-12), their first above-.500 month since April 2002.
After the Pirates closed to within a run in the sixth, Mike Matthews working out of a two-on, one-out jam. Jay Witasick followed with 1 2-3 scoreless innings. Rod Beck pitched the ninth for his 14th save in as many opportunities since being called up from the minors.
Beck has stabilized what previously was an erratic Padres bullpen, Loretta said.
“It was good for us to not give up the lead. You still feel like you’re in control of the game,” Loretta said. “We feel now that when we go into the seventh or eighth with a lead, we’ll win the game. That wasn’t the case early in the season.”
The Padres won twice in the three-game series after dropping four of six and are 6-3 in Pittsburgh since PNC Park opened in 2001. Beck also got the save Tuesday in the Padres’ come-from-behind 8-7 victory.
The only Pirates scoring after Eaton was lifted came against Scott Linebrink, who gave up a run in the three-run sixth.
Sean Burroughs’ two-run single off Joe Beimel in the ninth pushed the Padres’ lead from 8-7 to 10-7 and gave Beck some margin for error in the ninth.
“Late in the game, your pitchers coming through for you, that’s what does it,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
With trading deadline rumors swirling – the Pirates dealt 10-game winner Jeff Suppan to Boston after the game – the two losing-record teams showed why both need significant improvement. Both starting pitchers, Easton and Josh Fogg fought with their control during uneven outings, with Fogg (6-6) giving up four runs and six hits in four innings.
“His stuff is fine. I’m concerned about the command of his pitches,” manager Lloyd McClendon said of Fogg. “We’ve got to get him back to pitching off his fastball … not the other way.”
Stairs put the Pirates up 3-0 in the first with his 12th homer, but Loretta drove in three runs with doubles in consecutive innings. Ramon Vazquez added an RBI single in a go-ahead three-run fourth that put the Padres up 4-3.
The Padres scored three more times in the fifth on Rondell White’s RBI double and Gary Matthews Jr.’s two-run drive, both off rookie Duaner Sanchez.
The Pirates cut the deficit to a run in a sixth inning capped off by Brian Giles’ run-scoring single. Hernandez’s homer was his 12th and Wilson’s was his sixth.
Hernandez, who leads the majors with 136 strikeouts, ended a streak of eight consecutive strikeouts over three games by walking in the fourth, two innings before he homered.
The Padres were rumored to be in trade talks concerning outfielder Rondell White, but didn’t announce any deal by the 4 p.m. EDT deadline. The Pirates also failed to move outfielders Matt Stairs and Reggie Sanders, despite interest from some contenders. The Kansas City Royals apparently made a push for Sanders.
“There’s still trades that can be made in August, not to say that might happen,” Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said. “It’s just a little more complicated (getting players through waivers).”
NOTES: Loretta is 32-of-84 (.381) with runners in scoring position. … Eaton had allowed only four earned runs in 27 innings over his previous five appearances. … The Pirates had won seven of 11. … Despite losing the series, the Pirates won the season series from San Diego 4-2. … Hernandez was two strikeouts short of pitcher Tommie Sisk’s 1966 club record of striking out in 10 consecutive at-bats.