May 11, 2003 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Brian Giles hit his first two homers this season and Kris Benson pitched eight innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates ended a seven-game losing streak, holding off the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 Saturday night. Giles, who returned Wednesday after sitting out nearly a month with a sprained knee, hit a two-run shot in the first and a solo drive in the third, both off Elmer Dessens.

The homers were Giles’ first since he homered three times in three games during a season-ending series against the Cubs in September.

Arizona rallied for three runs in the ninth against Benson and relievers Scott Sauerbeck and Mike Williams. Rod Barajas hit an RBI double and pinch-hitter Quinton McCracken had a two-run double.

Benson (4-4) allowed eight hits, including a pair of leadoff doubles, but worked out of several jams.

Benson made several mechanical adjustments during two bullpen sessions – one more than usual – after pitching a career-low 2 1-3 innings in an 8-1 loss to Houston on Monday. He responded by striking out five.

He was pulled after issuing his only walk leading off the ninth. Williams got the last two outs for his ninth save in 11 chances.

The Pirates not only dodged their first eight-game losing streak since September 2000, they also stopped a six-game home losing streak.

One night after being shut out 5-0 by Curt Schilling, the NL’s weakest-hitting team opened a 3-0 lead in the first against Dessens (3-3). The one-time Pirates pitcher lost his fifth straight decision against his former club, yielding five hits and four runs in six innings.

Kenny Lofton singled to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, and Giles followed a batter later with a drive into the right-field seats. Giles, who averaged 37 homers in his first four Pirates seasons, had only four extra-base hits – all doubles – in his first 40 at-bats.

The Pirates, who had gone 54 consecutive innings at PNC Park without more than two hits in an inning, made it 3-0 when Randall Simon hit his third homer, an opposite-field homer to left with two outs.

Before homering twice in a span of three batters, the Pirates had only six homers in 16 home games.

Giles hit the ball out of the park twice in the third. He hit a long drive down the right-field line that bounced into the Allegheny River, but only after curving foul at the last second.

Two pitches later, his drive struck the back row of right-field seats and landed outside the park.

Giles is 16-for-31 with four homers and 11 RBIs in his career against Dessens.

Matt Williams doubled and scored on Danny Bautista’s groundout in the fourth for Arizona. But the Diamondbacks gave the run back in the seventh on rookie shortstop Alex Cintron’s run-scoring throwing error on Pokey Reese’s infield single.

NOTES: Giles was 1-for-12 in PNC Park this season before his two-homer night … Dessens is 2-6 against Pittsburgh. … Before winning, the Pirates were 1-6 at home against the NL West this season. … Lofton is 16 for 40 (.400) during his hitting streak. … Arizona has lost five of nine.