Astros’ Backe outduels Pirates’ Duke
PITTSBURGH – Zach Duke gave the Pirates another quality start Thursday afternoon. Brandon Backe gave Houston one of his best games of the season, however, and that led to the Astros’ 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh at PNC Park.
After facing Houston’s big three of Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt in succession, the Pirates must have been licking their chops at the prospect of facing Backe, who entered the game with a 4.76 ERA.
After all, Pittsburgh had scored seven, seven and eight runs, respectively, in the first three games against the Astro aces.
Backe (10-8) was almost untouchable, though, allowing only two hits, including a Craig Wilson home run, in breezing through seven innings.
“He did a fine job today, and boy did we need it,” said Astros manager Phil Garner, the former Pirate who has Houston two games in front in the National League wild-card race with an 84-69 record.
Backe got all the run support he needed from Lance Berkman, who drove in both of his team’s runs.
“We got two two-out singles from Berkman to win the ball game,” Garner said.
While not outstanding, Duke (6-2) had another solid outing, allowing both runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in six innings. He threw 90 pitches, 58 for strikes, in taking his second straight hard-luck loss.
“That’s baseball,” said Duke, whose allowed only three runs in 10 innings since coming back from an ankle injury. “You’re not going to get the breaks all the time, and I got a lot of them early on.
“I’m just happy that I’m healthy again and pitching pretty well.”
Duke’s effort was admired by Pirates manager Pete Mackanin, as well as Garner.
“It was a really well pitched game on his part,” Mackanin said. “He certainly pitched well enough to win. He’s got two more starts this year and I think he’s going to finish up strong.”
“He’s pitched well,” Garner said of Duke. “I’m impressed with several of their young players … him in particular.”
Duke uncharacteristically walked lead-off hitter Willy Taveras, in the first and the Astros took that opportunity to manufacture a run, despite a couple fine defensive plays by the Pirates.
Third baseman Freddy Sanchez made a running, barehanded play on Chris Burke’s sacrifice bunt, and Morgan Ensberg was retired on a diving stop by shortstop Jack Wilson.
Taveras moved up a base on each out, though, and scored when Berkman chopped an infield hit off the plate.
Garner defended his “small-ball” approach a day after his team scored 12 runs.
“We wanted to get one on the board as quickly as possible,” Garner said.
The run did seem to take a bit of air out of the Pirates and the sparse, paid-attendance crowd of 12,587.
Houston made it 2-0 in the third when Taveras doubled down the right-field line, went to third on another sacrifice bunt by Burke and scored on Berkman’s two-out single to center.
Pittsburgh sliced the lead in half when Craig Wilson drove a 2-0 pitch from Backe over the left field wall leading off the fifth for just his third home run of the season.
The only other baserunners Backe surrendered in his seven innings were Daryle Ward, who lined a two-out single to right in the second, and Craig Wilson again, who was hit by a pitch with two out in the seventh.
The Pirates put together a threat in the eighth against reliever Chad Qualls with two-out singles by pinch-hitter Tike Redman and Sanchez.
That prompted Garner to call on closer Brad Lidge an inning earlier than usual, who promptly got Jack Wilson on an inning-ending fielder’s choice.
Lidge finished up in the ninth for his 38th save. He got Jason Bay on a check swing, broken bat come-backer to the mound, gave up an infield hit to Rob Mackowiak, then struck out Craig Wilson and Ward both looking to end the game.
Three Pirate relievers combined to blank the Astros over the final three innings to keep the game close. John Grabow struck out the side in the seventh, Mike Gonzalez allowed a pair of two-out walks in a scoreless eighth, and Salomon Torres pitched a perfect ninth.
NOTES: The Pirates have the N.L.’s worst record at 62-91, having recently dropped below Colorado. … The Bucs are in Los Angeles for a four-game series against the Dodgers beginning tonight at 10:40. … Bay’s hitting streak was stopped at 14 games.