Second-to-last in the majors in home runs, the Houston Astros displayed some power on Wednesday.
J.A. Happ allowed the Andrew McCutchen to do the same.
McCutchen hit his 21st and 22nd home runs, Jason Jaramillo singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Astros 5-4 on Wednesday night, last-place Houston’s fifth loss in six games.
“That,” said Astros manager Brad Mills said, “was our game to win. We’ve had a few tough ones to lose, and that definitely is one of them.”
Houston hit three home runs, including consecutive shots by Carlos Lee and Matt Downs in the first inning that gave them the first of two three-run leads.
Clint Barmes also homered, but Happ gave up both of McCutchen’s shots, the second of which coming with two men on in the fourth to tie the game at 4.
Making his third start since a three-week stint in the minors during August, Happ gave up four runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. He tied a season high with eight strikeouts.
“We have seen him fight through it before,” Mills said of Happ. “He was able to make a lot of pitches when he needed, but obviously one guy hurt him.”
Happ had allowed one earned run in his two previous starts since bring promoted back to the majors. He also hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his previous seven career starts against the Pirates, including tossing seven shutout innings against them in his most recent outing Aug. 31.
But McCutchen tagged him for two first-pitch homers Wednesday.
“He was aggressive, obviously, today,” Happ said. “Kind of a change from the last time we played in our home series, but he is a tough out.”
Clint Hurdle’ 600th as a manager in the majors was earned when Jaramillo’s grounder through the hole at second drove in pinch-runner Chase d’Arnaud.
“I was just looking for a good pitch out over the plate,” said Jaramillo, who was on Pittsburgh’s opening day roster but spent most of the season in Triple-A or injured. “I know in that situation you hear that a lot, but honestly, I was just trying to stay as quiet as possible, and it worked out. I got a pitch out over the plate and just put a good swing on it.”
The Pirates’ bullpen combined for 5 2-3 innings of scoreless relief, with Tony Watson (2-2) getting the final out in the eighth and Joel Hanrahan working a perfect ninth for his 36th save in 39 opportunities.
Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit hit consecutive pinch-hit singles with one out in the bottom of the eighth off Wilton Lopez (2-6). Jaramillo then produced the only run of the game that did not come on a home run.
Lee and Downs hit consecutive homers off Brian Burres in the first, the second time this season the Astros hit back-to-back shots.
Lee has 15 homers, but four have come in his past 14 games. Downs made it two Burres pitches, two home runs to left, when his line drive struck the foul pole.
“We went up early,” said Downs, “but there was a lot of game left when we went up.
“When you go up early, there’s a lot of game left to fight back, so it’s just one of those nights.”
Barmes 10th homer was a solo shot in the fourth.
McCutchen has four career multihomer games, two this season. McCutchen has a career-high 22 home runs.
“You don’t want to not ready until after the first pitch; you want to be ready every single pitch,” McCutchen said. “That’s my thought process — be ready. And (Happ) grooved me a couple fastballs, and I was able to hit them out.”
Making his second start since being promoted from Triple-A, Burres allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 2-3 innings.
“I had some command issues, pretty much, with all the pitches,” Burres said. “And I left some out over the fat part of the plate, and they got hit pretty hard.”
NOTES: Hurdle, who kept the ball from his milestone victory, said LHP Jeff Locke will make his major league debut when he starts Saturday’s game against Florida. RHP Charlie Morton will, in effect, have his turn in the rotation skipped as he deals with late-season fatigue. Hurdle also said the team could, at times, go with a six-man rotation the rest of the season. … Pittsburgh RHP Jared Hughes made his major league debut, allowing one hit in 1 1-3 scoreless innings. … Astros RHP Bud Norris has 34 strikeouts in 29 1-3 innings over his past five outings. He starts Friday in Washington. … The Pirates begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Friday. Pittsburgh was swept in Florida in April, and was shut out in two of the three defeats.

McCutchen hit his 21st and 22nd home runs, Jason Jaramillo singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Astros 5-4 on Wednesday night, last-place Houston’s fifth loss in six games.

“That,” said Astros manager Brad Mills said, “was our game to win. We’ve had a few tough ones to lose, and that definitely is one of them.”

Houston hit three home runs, including consecutive shots by Carlos Lee and Matt Downs in the first inning that gave them the first of two three-run leads.

Clint Barmes also homered, but Happ gave up both of McCutchen’s shots, the second of which coming with two men on in the fourth to tie the game at 4.

Making his third start since a three-week stint in the minors during August, Happ gave up four runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. He tied a season high with eight strikeouts.

“We have seen him fight through it before,” Mills said of Happ. “He was able to make a lot of pitches when he needed, but obviously one guy hurt him.”

Happ had allowed one earned run in his two previous starts since bring promoted back to the majors. He also hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his previous seven career starts against the Pirates, including tossing seven shutout innings against them in his most recent outing Aug. 31.

But McCutchen tagged him for two first-pitch homers Wednesday.

“He was aggressive, obviously, today,” Happ said. “Kind of a change from the last time we played in our home series, but he is a tough out.”

Clint Hurdle’ 600th as a manager in the majors was earned when Jaramillo’s grounder through the hole at second drove in pinch-runner Chase d’Arnaud.

“I was just looking for a good pitch out over the plate,” said Jaramillo, who was on Pittsburgh’s opening day roster but spent most of the season in Triple-A or injured. “I know in that situation you hear that a lot, but honestly, I was just trying to stay as quiet as possible, and it worked out. I got a pitch out over the plate and just put a good swing on it.”

The Pirates’ bullpen combined for 5 2-3 innings of scoreless relief, with Tony Watson (2-2) getting the final out in the eighth and Joel Hanrahan working a perfect ninth for his 36th save in 39 opportunities.

Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit hit consecutive pinch-hit singles with one out in the bottom of the eighth off Wilton Lopez (2-6). Jaramillo then produced the only run of the game that did not come on a home run.

Lee and Downs hit consecutive homers off Brian Burres in the first, the second time this season the Astros hit back-to-back shots.

Lee has 15 homers, but four have come in his past 14 games. Downs made it two Burres pitches, two home runs to left, when his line drive struck the foul pole.

“We went up early,” said Downs, “but there was a lot of game left when we went up.

“When you go up early, there’s a lot of game left to fight back, so it’s just one of those nights.”

Barmes 10th homer was a solo shot in the fourth.

McCutchen has four career multihomer games, two this season. McCutchen has a career-high 22 home runs.

“You don’t want to not ready until after the first pitch; you want to be ready every single pitch,” McCutchen said. “That’s my thought process — be ready. And (Happ) grooved me a couple fastballs, and I was able to hit them out.”

Making his second start since being promoted from Triple-A, Burres allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 2-3 innings.

“I had some command issues, pretty much, with all the pitches,” Burres said. “And I left some out over the fat part of the plate, and they got hit pretty hard.”

NOTES: Hurdle, who kept the ball from his milestone victory, said LHP Jeff Locke will make his major league debut when he starts Saturday’s game against Florida. RHP Charlie Morton will, in effect, have his turn in the rotation skipped as he deals with late-season fatigue. Hurdle also said the team could, at times, go with a six-man rotation the rest of the season. … Pittsburgh RHP Jared Hughes made his major league debut, allowing one hit in 1 1-3 scoreless innings. … Astros RHP Bud Norris has 34 strikeouts in 29 1-3 innings over his past five outings. He starts Friday in Washington. … The Pirates begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Friday. Pittsburgh was swept in Florida in April, and was shut out in two of the three defeats.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wells was impressive again after pitching his first career shutout in Monday’s 7-0 win over the Giants. He pitched a two-hitter to outduel Tim Lincecum in his first-career complete game.

Wells (7-4) allowed one run while scattering seven hits. He struck out two and walked two. He is 6-1 over his last eight outings after going 0-3 with a 7.38 ERA in his first nine starts once returning from the disabled list.

In the last month, Well is pitching more like his 2009 season, when he led all rookies with a 3.05 ERA.

“It’s a tough thing. You guys keep asking me about who I was in 2009. I wasn’t any different in 2010. It was just a tough year, I grinded it out, I made every start, got close to 200 innings. Some things just didn’t go my way,” said Wells. “There was a lot of stuff off the field that was said and thrown out there that was false. I had to deal with that for the first time in my career. It was a tough thing, it was a learning process and I think this year you just learn to put all things that go on off the field and what is said about you to the side and concentrate on what you need to do.”

Cubs reliever Sean Marshall pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save in eight chances. Cubs closer Carlos Marmol had the day off after blowing Saturday’s save and throwing 39 pitches.

Chicago won just for the third time in 10 games.

Pirates starter Charlie Morton (9-9) allowed four runs, three earned on seven hits. He struck out two and walked five and was done in by two errors by shortstop Ronny Cedeno.

Neil Walker hit a two-run shot in the eighth and Derrek Lee had three hits for the Pirates, who have lost six of eight.

The Cubs had runners on first and second with no outs in the first three innings, but failed to score until the third thanks to Cedeno’s error. Trailing 1-0, Carlos Pena hit a sharp grounder to Walker at second base. Walker made a low throw to Cedeno, who was covering second to get one out, but Cedeno’s throw to Lee at first was wide, allowing Tony Campana to score from second on the overthrow.

With two outs in the fourth inning and Koyie Hill on second, Starlin Castro hit a grounder to third baseman Josh Harrison. Harrison fielded the grounder, but his throw to first took Lee off the base so Lee attempted to tag Castro.

First baseman umpire Jim Wolf ruled Lee’s tag did not make contact with Castro. Hill, who never stopped on the base paths ended up scoring from second on the play. Lee argued with Wolf and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle came out of the dugout to also have an animated discussion with Wolf to no avail.

“What’s tough is when you put 10 guys on base without having to hit the ball. We were sloppy on the mound, we were sloppy on the field,” said Hurdle. “Sometimes its contagious. We just didn’t play a good ballgame today. There’s no excuses, we didn’t play a good game today. We definitely didn’t play well enough to win.”

Presley reached four times and scored twice as Pittsburgh snapped a five-game losing streak. Josh Harrison doubled, singled and scored twice.

“It was a good team win,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We had some guys throw some things in from top to bottom today.”

Burres (1-0), who was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, allowed one run and five hits over 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander started on short notice after Jeff Karstens was scratched with what the team is calling “fatigue.”

“(Burres) did a very professional job,” Hurdle said. “He’s pitched in the big leagues before so he wasn’t overwhelmed with anything. I thought he kept the ball down especially well today.”

It’s been a rough season for Burres, who went 4-5 with a 4.99 ERA in 20 games, 13 starts, for Pittsburgh last year. He had a 5-9 record and a 4.66 ERA with Indianapolis when he was promoted.

“I was anxious for Brian’s start,” Hurdle said. “To go down as he did, as professional as he did, start after start. Never a complaint. Hard work. Gets the opportunity and comes up here and pitches. To end up five-plus (innings) with one run on the day, that’s just good stuff.”

The 30-year-old Burres said it was nice to get a win in his return to the majors.

“I’ve been feeling good the last couple of weeks and it’s good to just carry that feeling into my start today,” he said.

“Most of the day I just tried to throw strikes and let my defense do the work.”

Four Pirates relievers combined for 3 2-3 perfect innings, with Joel Hanrahan picking up his 33rd save in 36 chances. Jason Grilli got the last two outs of the sixth, Chris Leroux pitched the seventh and Jose Veras worked the eighth before Hanrahan struck out two in the ninth.

Carlos Pena went deep for the Cubs, who have lost nine of 12. The first baseman now has at least 25 homers in five straight seasons and six times overall in his career.

“I said this before, just the fact that I’ve been able to hit one in the big leagues is a blessing to me and I’m very grateful for it, let alone hit so many,” Pena said.

Ryan Dempster (10-11) worked out of a couple of early jams and held Pittsburgh to three runs and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out nine, two shy of his season best, and threw a season-high 121 pitches.

“I tried to survive those first couple innings, they fouled off a lot of pitches,” Dempster said. “I was able to get out there and get into the seventh.”

Pena connected in the second, hitting a drive to the deepest part of center field to give the Cubs the lead.

“That pitch I just left up a little bit and he did a good job of hitting hit hard,” Burres said.

Pittsburgh responded with two in the third. Presley led off with a triple off the right-field wall and Harrison followed with a single to right. Garrett Jones added a two-out RBI double.

“You just try to see pitches and get on base,” Presley said. “I was familiar with Dempster from the last time facing him so I tried to be a little more aggressive.”

Neither team mounted much offense after that. The Cubs stranded two runners in the third and fourth. The Pirates didn’t threaten again until Presley’s one-out triple in the seventh chased Dempster. Presley scored on Jose Tabata’s two-out single off Kerry Wood.

Presley became the first Pirate to record two triples in a game since Andrew McCutchen on June 8, 2009. He has five triples on the season.

“Presley ignited us at the top, stayed on base and made some things happen,” Hurdle said. “Harrison gave us some life.”

The only damper on the day for the Pirates came when McCutchen was hit in the left hand in the first inning. He remained in the game to run the bases, but was replaced by Tabata before the Cubs batted in the bottom half.

The team said McCutchen does not have a fracture and is listed as day to day.

NOTES: The Cubs promoted 1B Bryan LaHair from Triple-A Iowa. LaHair’s 38 home runs for Iowa were leading the minor leagues. . The Cubs announced that RHP Carlos Zambrano will not pitch for them again this season, even though his time on the disqualified list expires on Sept. 11. . Pirates 1B Derrek Lee (left wrist) took batting practice and the team hopes to activate him from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday if all goes well. . The Cubs will send RHP Casey Coleman to the hill on Saturday to face Pittsburgh RHP Ross Ohlendorf. Coleman has an 11.34 ERA in 19 2-3 innings at Wrigley Field this season.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Brian Burres pitched into the sixth in his first start of the season and Alex Presley had two triples, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Friday. 

Presley reached four times and scored twice as Pittsburgh snapped a five-game losing streak. Josh Harrison doubled, singled and scored twice.

Burres (1-0) allowed one run and five hits over 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday. 

Four Pirates relievers combined for 3 2-3 perfect innings, with Joel Hanrahan picking up his 33rd save in 36 chances.

Jason Grilli got the last two outs of the sixth, Chris Leroux pitched the seventh and Jose Veras worked the eighth before Hanrahan struck out two in the ninth. 

Carlos Pena went deep for the Cubs, who have lost nine of 12. The first baseman now has at least 25 homers in five straight seasons and six times overall in his career. 

Ryan Dempster (10-11) worked out of a couple of early jams and held Pittsburgh to three runs and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out nine, two shy of his season best, and threw a season-high 121 pitches. 

Pena connected in the second, hitting a drive to the deepest part of center field to give the Cubs the lead. 

Pittsburgh responded with two in the third. Presley led off with a triple off the right-field wall and Harrison followed with a single to right. Garrett Jones added a two-out RBI double. 

Neither team mounted much offense after that. The Cubs stranded two runners in the third and fourth. The Pirates didn’t threaten again until Presley’s one-out triple in the seventh chased Dempster. Presley scored on Jose Tabata’s two-out single off Kerry Wood. 

Presley became the first Pirate to record two triples in a game since Andrew McCutchen on June 8, 2009. He has five triples on the season. 

Brian Burres pitched into the sixth in his first start of the season and Alex Presley had two triples, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Friday.

Presley reached four times and scored twice as Pittsburgh snapped a five-game losing streak. Josh Harrison doubled, singled and scored twice.

Burres (1-0) allowed one run and five hits over 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Four Pirates relievers combined for 3 2-3 perfect innings, with Joel Hanrahan picking up his 33rd save in 36 chances. Jason Grilli got the last two outs of the sixth, Chris Leroux pitched the seventh and Jose Veras worked the eighth before Hanrahan struck out two in the ninth.

Carlos Pena went deep for the Cubs, who have lost nine of 12. The first baseman now has at least 25 homers in five straight seasons and six times overall in his career.

Ryan Dempster (10-11) worked out of a couple of early jams and held Pittsburgh to three runs and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out nine, two shy of his season best, and threw a season-high 121 pitches.

Pena connected in the second, hitting a drive to the deepest part of center field to give the Cubs the lead.

Pittsburgh responded with two in the third. Presley led off with a triple off the right-field wall and Harrison followed with a single to right. Garrett Jones added a two-out RBI double.

Neither team mounted much offense after that. The Cubs stranded two runners in the third and fourth. The Pirates didn’t threaten again until Presley’s one-out triple in the seventh chased Dempster. Presley scored on Jose Tabata’s two-out single off Kerry Wood.

Presley became the first Pirate to record two triples in a game since Andrew McCutchen on June 8, 2009. He has five triples on the season.

Fielding woes have plagued the Cubs, who entered with a major league-leading 114 errors and added two more on Friday. That doesn’t include a miscue in the first when Harrison’s grounder to shortstop Starlin Castro was misplayed into a rare infield double when the Cubs failed to cover second base.

McCutchen was hit in the left wrist area in the first inning. He remained in the game to run the bases, but was replaced by Tabata before the Cubs batted in the bottom half.

NOTES: The Cubs promoted 1B Bryan LaHair from Triple-A Iowa. LaHair’s 38 home runs for Iowa were leading the minor leagues. . Cubs RHP Andrew Cashner (right rotator cuff sprain) pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab outing for Iowa. Manager Mike Quade said Cashner reached 99 mph with his fastball and the club is hopeful he will return to the big leagues next week. . The Cubs announced that RHP Carlos Zambrano will not pitch for them again this season, even though his time on the disqualified list expires on Sept. 11. . RHP Jeff Karstens (shoulder), who was scratched from his scheduled start Friday, played catch but is likely to miss more than just this start, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. . Pirates 1B Derrek Lee (left wrist) took batting practice and the team hopes to activate him from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday if all goes well. . The Cubs will send RHP Casey Coleman to the hill on Saturday to face Pittsburgh RHP Ross Ohlendorf. Coleman has an 11.34 ERA in 19 2-3 innings at Wrigley Field this season.

PITTSBURGH — Gerrit Cole got his first look at PNC Park on Saturday. The Pittsburgh Pirates say they’re in no rush to put this year’s overall No. 1 draft pick on the mound there anytime soon.

“The last thing we want to do is rush this process,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re intelligent about it. We’ve got a long time that Gerrit is going to be a successful pitcher in this organization. We’ve got to make sure we go about it the right way.”

Cole agreed to a deal Monday night that included an $8 million signing bonus. The right-hander pitched three years at UCLA.

Huntington said he’s seen it all too often with promising young players — particularly pitchers — who get placed on too much of a fast track to the majors. He vowed to resist that temptation with Cole.

“There’s some great examples of success, and there’s some tragic examples of failure,” Huntington said. “We’re trying to work toward the success side.

“We’re definitely looking to build Gerrit to where he’s ready to attack a 200-plus innings workload at the major-league level, but history is littered with guys who tackle that 200-inning count before they’re ready physically,” he said.

For now, Cole will report to the Pirates’ spring-training complex in Bradenton, Fla. Full Story

Johnson: Pudge could return to Nationals

The Nationals could bring Ivan Rodriguez back to the team for 2012, manager Davey Johnson told MLB.com.

Rodriguez, currently out with injury, isn’t expected to return to the team before September, clearing up playing time for new backstop Jesus Flores, who is 26 years old and far more relevant to the Nats’ future. Rodriguez is hitting .214/.276/.325 this season in 129 plate appearances. It’s by far the worst offensive showing in his career, and I-Rod is set to also mark a career low in games played, currently at just 39 with a previous low of 88… set in his first season as a 19-year-old.

“Anybody would be crazy not to have [Rodriguez] back,” Johnson said. “He is a tremendous talent. He has been great here this year. He is fun to have around. He can hit, he can catch, he can throw and he adds to our depth at catching. He is a valuable asset. It just depends on the roster and what goes on over the winter and what our needs are.”

Despite the ringing endorsement, Johnson did admit that Rodriguez’s return will depend on Flores, who was drafted in the Rule 5 draft before 2007 and hit .244/.310/.361 that season. He also saw 90 games worth of time in 23 and was off to a great start in 2009 as a 24-year-old, hitting .301/.371/.505 through 106 PA before injuring himself and missing the rest of the 2009 season, as well as 2010. He’s finally back in action, though, and was recently promoted back to the majors where he is at .244/.295/.390 through 16 games.

Pirates’ Maholm on DL

PITTSBURGH — Pirates left-hander Paul Maholm is on the disabled list for the first time, sidelined by a shoulder strain.

Maholm has lost four straight starts and five consecutive decisions, and Pittsburgh is 0-7 in games he started since the All-Star break. Over his past four outings, Maholm’s ERA has climbed a half-run to 3.66. He has allowed 17 earned runs and 31 hits in 22 2/3 innings.

The Pirates recalled rookie left-handed reliever Tony Watson from Triple-A Indianapolis. Watson was 0-2 with a 2.73 ERA in 25 appearances earlier this season.

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle says he hasn’t worked out his upcoming rotation, including a doubleheader on Monday. Brad Lincoln, currently in the bullpen, and Ross Ohlendorf, who began the season in the rotation but is in Indianapolis, are potential options.

Twins scratch Nishioka

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka has been taken out of the team’s lineup because of back spasms.

Nishioka was slated to bat ninth against the New York Yankees. The Twins announced the change about an hour before first pitch. Matt Tolbert was inserted at shortstop in his place.

Nishioka’s first season with the Twins has been rough. He is hitting just .217 with five extra-base hits in 203 at-bats, plus 10 errors. He missed 59 games after breaking his lower left leg in the first week of the season. He was the batting champion in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball last year.

Second base umpire Brian O’Nora also was declared out for the game due to a personal medical matter, leaving a three-man crew to work the game.

Rockies boot Hammel from rotation

Jason Hammel has been dropped from Colorado’s starting rotation in lieu of Alex White, the team announced.

Hammel’s demotion is unsurprising, as the 28-year-old’s wheels have fallen off over the last three months. After two successful seasons with the Rockies after coming over from the Rays and lining up 2011 as another solid year, Hammel has instead thrown up a 7.24 ERA over his last 12 starts. He’s shown no signs of turning it around either, with a 9.24 ERA over his last four starts, including a three-inning stinker against the Dodgers on Friday when Hammel coughed up six runs.

Alex White, who was acquired from the Indians in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade in the midst of rehabbing from an injury, will make his Rockies debut by sliding into Hammel’s spot on Tuesday, with Hammel headed to the bullpen.

“I worked tirelessly to figure this out,” Hammel said after Friday’s start to the Associated Press. “Obviously, I’m not fulfilling expectations right now. It’s very disappointing to me and of course, the whole organization, too. Point the finger at me for holding this organization back right now. If we want to get going in the right direction, I need to figure it out.”

(Sports Network) – The Pittsburgh Pirates can begin one last improbable charge
toward the top of the National League’s Central Division tonight at Miller
Park, as they open a three-game series with the front-running Milwaukee
Brewers.

The Pirates were among the league’s biggest success stories for the season’s
first half, getting a share of the division for a brief spell and staying in
contention until a 10-game losing streak in late July and early August.

The dip pushed them below .500 for the season and to the fringes of contention
in the division, where they now trail the Brewers by 10 games after winning
two of three in San Francisco earlier in the week.

Milwaukee stretched its lead to four games over second-place St. Louis by
taking two of three in a series that ended Thursday, when Chris Carpenter
pitched eight strong innings and Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 with a homer and
two RBI as the Cardinals won, 5-2, to avoid a sweep.

Mark Kotsay and Prince Fielder both had RBI hits for the Brewers, who lost for
just the second time in their last 15 games. They grounded into four double
plays.

Yovani Gallardo (13-8) was saddled with the loss after allowing seven hits and
five runs — four earned — over five frames.

On Wednesday in San Francisco, Matt Diaz finished 2-for-4 with two RBI as
Pittsburgh plundered San Francisco, 9-2.

Ryan Ludwick added three hits, an RBI and two runs scored, while Andrew
McCutchen hit a two-run homer, walked three times and crossed the plate on
four occasions for the Pirates.

Jeff Karstens (9-6) worked six innings, allowing eight hits and two runs while
fanning nine for the win.

Milwaukee sends right-hander Zack Greinke to the mound, where he’ll face the
Pirates for the third time in his career.

The 27-year-old Floridian has won each of the first two meetings while
allowing a combined seven runs on 13 hits in 11 1/3 innings.

Lately, Greinke has won three straight outings, defeating the Chicago Cubs,
St. Louis and Houston while allowing 14 hits and three runs in 19 2/3 innings.

He’s been perfect at home in his first season with the Brewers, winning all
seven decisions in nine starts while posting a 3.49 earned run average.

Paul Maholm goes for the Pirates in search of his first win since July 10.

The Mississippi native was 6-9 on the season after a 9-1 defeat of the Cubs
that night, but has since dropped three decisions in five starts as his ERA
has ballooned from 2.96 to 3.54.

Maholm, a lefty, gave up 10 hits and seven runs in 6 2/3 innings of his last
outing, a 13-2 loss to San Diego on Aug. 6.

Maholm is 3-7 in 18 career starts against Milwaukee.

Milwaukee has won all five meetings with Pittsburgh this season and is 18-5 in
this series since the start of the 2010 campaign.

The Sports Network

CBSSports.com wire reports
Aug. 10, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pirates showed up in San Francisco mired in a 10-game losing streak with little going right. In two weeks, they’d fallen from first place to 10 games out.

Winning two from the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants did a lot as Pittsburgh heads off to face NL Central-leading Milwaukee in an important matchup of division rivals.

Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer, Jeff Karstens bounced back from his worst start of the season and the Pirates won their first series in three weeks with a 9-2 victory over the struggling Giants on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh is off Thursday before opening a weekend series with the Brewers, who have won all five previous meetings.

“We’ll find out after the Friday night game, but we’re going in with some confidence,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We were able to put a foot down and win a series on the road.”

Garrett Jones added an RBI single to continue his torrid August and help back Karstens (9-6), whose career-high nine strikeouts matched a season high for the team. Karstens, who ended a four-start winless stretch, gave up a season-high nine runs and nine hits in a 15-5 loss at San Diego last Friday.

“It’s good for us, especially heading into Milwaukee,” Karstens said.

Pablo Sandoval homered for the Giants, who began the day with a half-game lead over Arizona in the NL West. The Diamondbacks host Houston in a night game. San Francisco has led the division since June 25.

Jonathan Sanchez (4-7) walked McCutchen on four pitches and threw five straight balls to start the game. Sandoval came in from third and catcher Eli Whiteside hustled to the mound to chat with the left-hander, who was roughed up again in his second start since coming off the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. Sanchez was done after 4 1-3 innings and hasn’t won since June 2 at St. Louis.

McCutchen went 1 for 1 with three walks and a hit by pitch. He stole two bases and scored four runs — most by a Pirate in a game this year. His 16th clout of the year put Pittsburgh ahead 3-1 in the third. The Pirates have homered in four of their last five games and eight of 12.

McCutchen was hit by a pitch leading off the seventh. Brandon Wood drove in a run that inning and Matt Diaz hit two run-scoring singles. Pittsburgh’s Nos. 1-5 hitters went a combined 7 for 17 with six RBI, eight runs scored, seven walks and a hit batter. Jones is batting .389 (14 for 36) with five doubles, three homers and seven RBI this month.

With a power show on offense of late, Bucs pitchers also have allowed 18 homers over the last nine games. Sandoval connected in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1.

The Giants have hit 19 straight solo home runs, matching the 1914 Phillies’ major league mark. Their last homer to score more than one run was a two-run drive by Nate Schierholtz on July 6 against San Diego.

San Francisco finished up a disappointing 3-7 homestand with its 10th loss in 13 games. The Giants have dropped three straight series at AT&T Park for the first time since losing six consecutive home series from May 12-June 18, 2008.

“We’ve got a lot of baseball left,” outfielder Cody Ross said. “We’ve got to go out and play like champions. We’re not doing it. We’re kind of all in a rut and it seems like we can’t dig ourselves out. We’ve got to do something.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the front office would discuss whether to stick with Sanchez. Lefty Barry Zito had been unimpressive in the fifth starter role and went back on the disabled list Aug. 1, but he could come off when San Francisco needs that pitcher again Aug. 16 in Atlanta.

“It has me a little concerned,” Bochy said of the No. 5 spot. “We need that guy to help us win a ballgame, too. We haven’t had a good start there in I don’t know how many now.”

Pirates first baseman Derrek Lee was a late scratch from the lineup with a recurring left hand injury. Hurdle said Lee’s hand was very sore after he played the two previous nights following a four-game absence with the bruised hand. Lee was hit with a pitch from Chicago’s Carlos Marmol last Wednesday.

Lee is batting .278 with two home runs and three RBI in four games since joining the Pirates in a trade from Baltimore.

Notes

• Giants RF Carlos Beltran missed his third straight game nursing a strained right hand and wrist. Schierholtz was held out with a right hip flexor.
• Zito will make another rehab outing Saturday for Triple-A Fresno then fly out to join the Giants on the road.
• San Francisco INF Miguel Tejada [lower abdominal strain] isn’t quite ready to begin a rehab outing in the minors, Bochy said. Tejada will travel on the road trip.
• Pirates RHP Kevin Hart had arthroscopic cleanup surgery Tuesday performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. The team hopes to have Hart ready by spring training.
• Pirates LHP Paul Maholm (6-12, 3.54 ERA) starts Friday trying to end a string of three straight losing decisions. He is 1-5 on the road and is coming off a 13-2 loss Saturday at San Diego.
• All-Star RHP Matt Cain goes for the Giants on Friday at Florida, trying to improve to 4-1 for his career vs. the Marlins. He lost to Florida on May 24.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) – Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer, Jeff Karstens bounced back from his worst start of the season and the Pittsburgh Pirates won their first series in three weeks with a 9-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

The Pirates took two of three from the reigning World Series champions on the heels of a 10-game losing streak. Pittsburgh is off Thursday before opening a weekend series at NL Central-leading Milwaukee. The Brewers have won all five previous meetings.

Garrett Jones added an RBI single to continue his torrid August and help back Karstens (9-6), whose career-high nine strikeouts matched a season-high for the team. Karstens, who ended a four-start winless stretch, gave up a season-high nine runs and nine hits in a 15-5 loss at San Diego last Friday.

McCutchen went 1 for 1 with three walks. He stole two bases and scored four runs.

Pablo Sandoval homered for the Giants, who began the day with a half-game lead over Arizona in the NL West. The Diamondbacks host Houston in a night game. San Francisco has led the division since June 25.

Jonathan Sanchez (4-7) walked McCutchen on four pitches and threw five straight balls to start the game. Sandoval came in from third and catcher Eli Whiteside hustled to the mound to chat with the left-hander, who was roughed up again in his second start since coming off the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. Sanchez was done after 4 1-3 innings and hasn’t won since June 2 at St. Louis.

McCutchen stole second and came around to score on Ryan Ludwick’s RBI single.

McCutchen’s 16th clout of the year put Pittsburgh ahead 3-1 in the third. The Pirates have homered in four of their last five games and eight of 12.

McCutchen scored four runs—most by a Pirate in a game this year—also drawing three walks and getting hit by a pitch leading off the seventh. Brandon Wood added a two-run single in the seventh and Matt Diaz hit two run-scoring singles. Pittsburgh’s Nos. 1-5 hitters went a combined 7 for 17 with six RBIs, eight runs scored, seven walks and a hit batter. Jones is batting .389 (14 for 36) with five doubles, three homers and seven RBIs this month.

With a power show on offense of late, Bucs pitchers also have allowed 18 homers over the last nine games. Sandoval connected in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1.

The Giants have hit 19 straight solo home runs, matching the 1914 Phillies’ major league mark. Their last homer to score more than one run was a two-run drive by Nate Schierholtz on July 6 against San Diego.

Still, San Francisco finished up a disappointing 3-7 homestand with its 10th loss in 13 games. The Giants have dropped three straight series at AT&T Park for the first time since losing six consecutive home series from May 12-June 18, 2008.

Pirates first baseman Derrek Lee was a late scratch from the lineup with a recurring left hand injury. Manager Clint Hurdle said Lee’s hand was very sore after he played the two previous nights following a four-game absence with the bruised hand. Lee was hit with a pitch from Chicago’s Carlos Marmol last Wednesday.

Lee is batting .278 with two home runs and three RBIs in four games since joining the Pirates in a trade from Baltimore.

NOTES: Giants RF Carlos Beltran missed his third straight game nursing a strained right hand and wrist. Schierholtz was held out with a right hip flexor. … Giants LHP Barry Zito will make another rehab outing Saturday for Triple-A Fresno then fly out to join the Giants on the road. … San Francisco INF Miguel Tejada (lower abdominal strain) isn’t quite ready to begin a rehab outing in the minors, manager Bruce Bochy said. Tejada will travel on the road trip. … Pirates RHP Kevin Hart had arthroscopic cleanup surgery Tuesday performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. The team hopes to have Hart ready by spring training. … Pirates LHP Paul Maholm (6-12, 3.54 ERA) starts Friday trying to end a string of three straight losing decisions. He is 1-5 on the road and is coming off a 13-2 loss Saturday at San Diego. … All-Star RHP Matt Cain goes for the Giants on Friday at Florida, trying to improve to 4-1 for his career vs. the Marlins. He lost to Florida on May 24.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

37.778143
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AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen (22) is met at the plate by teammate Steve Pearce after hitting a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011.

Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer, Jeff Karstens bounced back from his worst start of the season and the Pittsburgh Pirates won their first series in three weeks with a 9-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
The Pirates took two of three from the reigning World Series champions on the heels of a 10-game losing streak. Pittsburgh is off Thursday before opening a weekend series at NL Central-leading Milwaukee. The Brewers have won all five previous meetings.
Garrett Jones added an RBI single to continue his torrid August and help back Karstens (9-6), whose career-high nine strikeouts matched a season-high for the team. Karstens, who ended a four-start winless stretch, gave up a season-high nine runs and nine hits in a 15-5 loss at San Diego last Friday.
McCutchen went 1 for 1 with three walks. He stole two bases and scored four runs.
Pablo Sandoval homered for the Giants, who began the day with a half-game lead over Arizona in the NL West. The Diamondbacks host Houston in a night game. San Francisco has led the division since June 25.
Sanchez (4-7) walked McCutchen on four pitches and threw five straight balls to start the game. Sandoval came in from third and catcher Eli Whiteside hustled to the mound to chat with the left-hander, who was roughed up again in his second start since coming off the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. Sanchez was done after 4 1-3 innings and hasn’t won since June 2 at St. Louis.
McCutchen stole second and came around to score on Ryan Ludwick’s RBI single.
McCutchen’s 16th clout of the year put Pittsburgh ahead 3-1 in the third. The Pirates have homered in four of their last five games and eight of 12.
McCutchen scored four runs — most by a Pirate in a game this year — also drawing three walks and getting hit by a pitch leading off the seventh. Brandon Wood added a two-run single in the seventh and Matt Diaz hit two run-scoring singles. Pittsburgh’s Nos. 1-5 hitters went a combined 7 for 17 with six RBIs, eight runs scored, seven walks and a hit batter. Jones is batting .389 (14 for 36) with five doubles, three homers and seven RBIs this month.
With a power show on offense of late, Bucs pitchers also have allowed 18 homers over the last nine games. Sandoval connected in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1.
The Giants have hit 19 straight solo home runs, matching the 1914 Phillies’ major league mark. Their last homer to score more than one run was a two-run drive by Nate Schierholtz on July 6 against San Diego.
Still, San Francisco finished up a disappointing 3-7 homestand with its 10th loss in 13 games. The Giants have dropped three straight series at AT&T Park for the first time since losing six consecutive home series from May 12-June 18, 2008.
Pirates first baseman Derrek Lee was a late scratch from the lineup with a recurring left hand injury. Manager Clint Hurdle said Lee’s hand was very sore after he played the two previous nights following a four-game absence with the bruised hand. Lee was hit with a pitch from Chicago’s Carlos Marmol last Wednesday.
Lee is batting .278 with two home runs and three RBIs in four games since joining the Pirates in a trade from Baltimore.
NOTES: Giants RF Carlos Beltran missed his third straight game nursing a strained right hand and wrist. Schierholtz was held out with a right hip flexor. … Giants LHP Barry Zito will make another rehab outing Saturday for Triple-A Fresno then fly out to join the Giants on the road. … San Francisco INF Miguel Tejada (lower abdominal strain) isn’t quite ready to begin a rehab outing in the minors, manager Bruce Bochy said. Tejada will travel on the road trip. … Pirates RHP Kevin Hart had arthroscopic cleanup surgery Tuesday performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. The team hopes to have Hart ready by spring training. … Pirates LHP Paul Maholm (6-12, 3.54 ERA) starts Friday trying to end a string of three straight losing decisions. He is 1-5 on the road and is coming off a 13-2 loss Saturday at San Diego. … All-Star RHP Matt Cain goes for the Giants on Friday at Florida, trying to improve to 4-1 for his career vs. the Marlins. He lost to Florida on May 24.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are ready to make a playoff post — just as soon as they get out of Philadelphia.

The Pirates picked up Ryan Ludwick and Derrek Lee on the trade-deadline weekend to make a run at the NL Central title.

Ludwick and Lee join a feel-good Pirates team that is starting to slide down the Central standings after suffering a three-game sweep to the Phillies.

Raul Ibanez’s two homers helped Philadelphia beat the Pirates 6-5 in 10 innings on Sunday to complete the sweep.

“We played harder, smarter and we scrapped,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We just couldn’t put it away.”

The Phillies trailed 5-3 in the eighth when Ibanez hit a two-run shot for his second homer of the game. He doubled to right off Tony Watson (0-2) in the 10th to score Hunter Pence and help the Phillies complete a three-game sweep.

“We stay together and pull together when we need to,” Ibanez said.

Antonio Bastardo (4-0) struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the win.

Ibanez hit a solo homer in the second off Pirates starter Jeff Karstens and his tying blast was off Jose Veras. The Phillies are a season-high 29 games over .500 (68-39) and swept their fifth series of the season.

Pence, acquired Friday from Houston, hit a one-out double in the 10th and Ibanez followed with his 21st double of the season. The Phillies increased their lead to six games over Atlanta in the NL East and are starting to pull away.

“It’s electric,” Pence said. “Everyone has a different charisma about them where you expect it to happen.”

The Pirates, trying to keep pace in a crowded division race, left Philadelphia reeling but with two new bats. A day after they traded for Lee, the Pirates acquired outfielder Ludwick from the San Diego Padres.

The Pirates hope Lee and Ludwick can get them back on track. Ludwick led the Padres in homers and RBIs and leaves a team that was 16 games under .500 entering Sunday.

Hurdle was glad to add another bat with some pop to the lineup.

“He plays hard and will be a big help for our ballclub,” he said.

Elsewhere in the National League it was: Cincinnati 9, San Francisco 0; Florida 3, Atlanta 1; Washington 3, New York Mets 2; Milwaukee 5, Houston 4; San Diego 8, Colorado 3; Arizona 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 3; and Chicago Cubs 6, St. Louis 3.

In Philadelphia, Lyle Overbay hit a two-run homer and Karstens pitched seven solid innings for the Pirates.

On the brink of losing his starting first baseman’s job, Overbay connected on a two-run shot off Phillies starter Vance Worley in the sixth for a 4-3 lead. Overbay, a disappointment in his first season with the Pirates, will hit the bench once Lee joins the team. Lee, acquired from Baltimore on Saturday, should take over at first when the Pirates return home.

The Pirates then got Ludwick from the Padres for a player to be named or cash.

Ludwick batted .238 with a team-leading 11 home runs and 64 RBIs in 378 at-bats. He was scratched two minutes before the start of the Padres game Sunday against Colorado.

“I’m excited because I’ve got another chance to make the playoffs, going to a team that’s in the pennant race, back in the Central to an area I’m familiar with,” Ludwick said. “It’s just sad things didn’t work out here.”

Karstens got a big boost when Overbay connected to right to put the Pirates ahead. It was one of the few times this season Overbay delivered in the clutch as the Pirates hoped when they signed him a one-year deal in the off-season.

The veteran first baseman was signed to provide Pittsburgh’s offence with some much-needed pop, but he has struggled in hitter-friendly PNC Park. He entered the Philadelphia series with just one RBI since July 4, or two fewer than pitcher Kevin Correia. Overbay was batting only .217 in July and was 2 for 22 in his last eight games entering Sunday.

With Lee on the way, he was scheduled to join the team Monday, Overbay should find himself on the bench.

Asked for an interview, Overbay said, “As long as it’s not about the Derrek Lee trade.”

He later said he didn’t know what was ahead for him after a talk with manager Clint Hurdle.

The Pirates open a seven-game game homestand Monday against the Cubs.

After allowing 17 runs to the Phillies in the first two games of the series, Karstens turned in a nice little outing. But the Pirates couldn’t solve.

“They have a bunch of answers,” Hurdle said. “Today, it was Ibanez.”

He hit his 15th homer in the second, a solo shot, for a 1-0 lead and Jimmy Rollins singled in two runs in the fifth that gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead.

The Pirates scored another run in seventh on Garrett Jones’ RBI double off reliever Brad Lidge. Xavier Paul had a two-RBI single in the fifth.

At Cincinnati, Johnny Cueto pitched a three-hitter, Joey Votto of Toronto had a three-run homer and tied his career high with five RBIs, and the Reds completed a three-game sweep of San Francisco.

At Atlanta, Ricky Nolasco scattered 12 hits, Emilio Bonifacio homered and Florida handed the Braves the 10,000th loss in franchise history.

At Los Angeles, Joe Saunders came within four outs of his second straight complete game, Gerardo Parra homered twice and the surging Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers.

At Washington, Rick Ankiel scored on Ian Desmond’s chopper up the middle in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Nationals a win over New York on a scorcher of a summer afternoon.

At Milwaukee, Prince Fielder drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth and the Brewers beat Houston to complete a three-game sweep.

At San Diego, Jesus Guzman drove in three, including the go-ahead run in a six-run eighth inning, as the Padres avoided a three-game sweep with a victory over Colorado.

At St. Louis, Starlin Castro and Marlon Byrd had key hits as Chicago broke up Jake Westbrook’s perfect game with a four-run sixth inning and held off the Cardinals to avoid a three-game sweep.

This time, there was no controversy, no debate and a lot less innings.

Atlanta and Pittsburgh played 19 innings Tuesday night before Julio Lugo scored the winning run on a call at the plate that umpire Jerry Meals later acknowledged was incorrect.

Ross became Atlanta’s starting catcher when the Braves placed McCann on the 15-day DL before the game with a left oblique injury. Ross came through with two hits, driving in both of the Braves’ runs.

“You’re not replacing B-Mac,” Ross said. “I’m trying to get in there and hold down the fort until he comes back.”

Ross is hitting .296. Most recently, he served as Tim Hudson’s personal catcher in a routine that gave McCann a regular day off.

The Braves are 17-6 with Ross starting, and the veteran is hitting .316 with four homers and 18 RBIs in those starts.

“I can’t think of very many teams in the major leagues that have the quality we do at the backup catcher position,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Nate McLouth led off the 10th with a single to right off Chris Leroux (1-1), who was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis before the game.

McLouth advanced to third on Freddie Freeman’s one-out single and Leroux intentionally walked Dan Uggla to load the bases for Ross.

Scott Linebrink (4-2) pitched the 10th for the win. Uggla finished with three hits to extend his career-best hitting streak to 18 games.

“I would have done the same thing they did, pitch around him to get to me,” Ross said.

Meals said Wednesday he watched a replay and Pittsburgh catcher Mike McKenry tagged Lugo before he scored the winning run in the second game of the series.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said he wanted the clear acknowledgement from Meals that he missed the call.

“I think that would be appropriate,” Hurdle said before Meals released his statement. “It would be professional. It would be respectful. And then we could all move on.”

Hurdle spoke with Meals when lineup cards were exchanged at home plate before the game. The two shook hands, and Hurdle gave the umpire a pat on the back before returning to the dugout.

The 19-inning game lasted 6 hours, 39 minutes and was the longest in Turner Field history and in both franchise histories. The game drained each team’s bullpen, and the start of another extra-inning game had Gonzalez worried.

“I was starting to get nervous, I was starting to get real nervous,” Gonzalez said.

Pittsburgh, seeking its first winning season in 19 years, fell 1½ games behind St Louis and Milwaukee in the NL Central.

The Pirates were held to seven hits by Jair Jurrjens and three relievers.

“We’re not built to slug,” Hurdle said. “You combine that and you come in here and face the Braves starting rotation, it’s one of the best ones in the league. It’s tough duty.

“We’ve got to find some bats to get in play. Hopefully that will start tomorrow.”

Jurrjens helped preserve the bullpen by pitching seven innings, allowing Garrett Jones’ sixth-inning homer to right-center. Jurrjens gave up six hits, walked three and struck out four.

The Braves scored one run and had three hits off Paul Maholm in the sixth. Martin Prado led off with a bloop single to left and scored on a single by Ross.

Prado, who went 0 for 9 in the 19-inning game, had two hits but was thrown out at third by left fielder Xavier Paul while trying to stretch a double in the first.

Maholm gave up nine hits in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked none.

Atlanta is concerned about its lineup after losing two regulars for at least two weeks, placing McCann and outfielder Jordan Schafer on the 15-day disabled list.

The Braves are also missing third baseman Chipper Jones, who is limited by a strained right quadriceps to pinch-hitting duty.

Jones grounded out in the ninth.

Schafer leads the team with 15 stolen bases, usually as the leadoff hitter. McCann is hitting .306 with 18 homers and a team-leading 55 RBIs.

The Braves recalled catcher J.C. Boscan and outfielder Wilkin Ramirez from Triple-A Gwinnett. Ramirez started in right field. Jason Heyward had the night off.

Boscan will serve as the backup to Ross while McCann recovers.

NOTES: The Pirates placed INF Chase d’Arnaud on the 15-day DL with a fractured right little finger. … The Braves acquired C Wil Nieves from Milwaukee for cash and assigned Nieves to Triple-A Gwinnett. … Pittsburgh C Ryan Doumit was 0 for 3 in his second injury rehab game with Triple-A Indianapolis. Doumit is returning from a left ankle sprain.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ATLANTA (AP)—James McDonald(notes) and the Pittsburgh Pirates keep finding ways
to win.

McDonald struck out a career-high nine in 5 1-3 scoreless innings and the
Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Monday night to keep pace in the tight NL
Central race.

The Pirates are tied with St. Louis for first place in the division, a
half-game ahead of Milwaukee, which was off.

The Braves outhit the Pirates 9-5, but Pittsburgh took advantage of its few
scoring chances.

Braves starter Tim Hudson(notes) issued three walks in seven innings—and each of
the three scored.

“Championship teams, they make good outs,” said Pirates manager Clint
Hurdle. “They find a way to score without hits. We were able to find a way of
doing that tonight, and we have to.”

McDonald (6-4) had the most strikeouts by a Pirates pitcher in almost two
years. He gave up eight hits but did not walk a batter and ended each of the
first five innings with strikeouts.

“It’s really important,” McDonald said of avoiding walks. “It’s been an
issue for me this year. I told myself in the second half I was going to keep my
walks down.”

McDonald has not allowed a run in two straight wins. He said he is focused
on being more aggressive on the mound and staying ahead in the count.

“Being ahead is a big key for me,” McDonald said.

“They’re a good-hitting team. They’re going to get their hits. The thing is
to keep the damage to a minimum.”

Joel Hanrahan(notes) pitched a perfect ninth for his 29th save in 30 chances.

Atlanta’s Chipper Jones(notes) came off the disabled list with two hits, including
a homer off Daniel McCutchen(notes) in the eighth.

McDonald struck out Alex Gonzalez(notes) to end the second inning with runners on
first and third. The right-hander struck out Freddie Freeman(notes) to end the third
with runners on second and third. He fanned Gonzalez again to end the fourth
following Nate McLouth’s(notes) second hit.

The Braves loaded the bases against McDonald with one out in the sixth.
Right-hander Chris Resop(notes), who began his career with the Braves, took over and
ended the threat on McLouth’s popup and Gonzalez’s third strikeout.

“I guess I was a little more pumped up than normal, going against
Atlanta,” Resop said. “It’s nice to be in Pittsburgh having success and I
guess proving to people I can pitch.”

Two walks hurt Hudson (9-7) in Pittsburgh’s two-run second inning.

After striking out the side in the first inning, Hudson walked Andrew
McCutchen(notes) and Pedro Alvarez(notes) to open the second. The runners advanced on Lyle
Overbay’s(notes) fly ball to center before McCutchen scored on Ronny Cedeno’s(notes) groundout
to third base. Alvarez scored on Michael McKenry’s(notes) single to left.

Andrew McCutchen’s single drove in Garrett Jones(notes) in the sixth for a 3-0
lead.

That was all McDonald would need.

Hudson gave up three runs on five hits and three walks in seven innings. He
had eight strikeouts in his first loss since June 15.

“They’re a good club. They’re not in first place by accident,” Hudson
said.

“They made their hits count tonight. I feel like I has too good of stuff to
give them free passes. You’ve got to make them earn it. I’m very disappointed on
the outcome because my stuff was really good.”

Each team had a third baseman return to its active roster as a starter.

Jones, who had arthroscopic surgery on July 9 to repair torn cartilage in
his right knee, returned with two hits, including his ninth homer, and a stolen
base.

Alvarez had one hit and a walk in his first game back from Triple-A
Indianapolis. Alvarez was recalled when the Pirates placed outfielder Alex
Presley(notes) on the 15-day disabled list with a left hand contusion.

Alvarez bobbled leadoff hitter Martin Prado’s(notes) grounder for an error on his
first chance in the first inning.

Dan Uggla’s(notes) sixth-inning single stretched his career-best hitting streak to
16 games.

According to STATS, LLC, Uggla’s .195 batting average is the lowest for any
player since 1946 to carry a hitting streak of 15 games or longer after at least
100 games. An error against Cincinnati’s Miguel Cairo(notes) on Sunday was changed to a
hit for Uggla on Monday, keeping the streak alive.

The start of the game was delayed 2 hours, 2 minutes by rain.

NOTES: McDonald’s nine strikeouts were the most for the Pirates since RHP
Russ Ohlendorf had 11 against St. Louis on Sept. 5, 2009. … OF Wilkin Ramirez(notes)
was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett to clear a roster spot for Jones. … An X-ray
on Monday showed Braves OF Jordan Schafer(notes) has a chip fracture in his middle left
finger. He struck out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh. … Manager Clint Hurdle
said he had no timetable on Presley’s return. … Andrew McCutchen had his first
stolen base since June 24.