PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ryan Ludwick’s single in the bottom of the ninth drove in the winning run and the Pittsburgh Pirates came back from a blown save in the top of the inning for a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.

Ludwick’s fly ball to deep center field fell for a single and scored pinch-runner Chase d’Arnaud from second after pinch-hitter Jason Jaramillo had doubled to left with one out.

Garrett Jones homered for the first time in more than a month for Pittsburgh (70-87), which reached 70 wins for the first time since 2004.

The Pirates had been a strike away from that elusive 70th victory, but closer Joel Hanrahan hit Todd Frazier in the hand with a 98 mph fastball, the eighth pitch of a dramatic at-bat with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth.

The blown save was Hanrahan’s fourth save in 43 opportunities.

Paul Janish had two hits and an RBI and Joey Votto had his 99th RBI for the Reds.

A year after winning the National League Central title, Cincinnati (76-81) is assured of its 10th losing season in the past 11 years.

Ryan Doumit had two hits and an RBI and Andrew McCutchen added two hits for Pittsburgh, which won for the second in its past seven games overall and second time in its past seven home games.

Pirates starter Jeff Locke was on a pitch limit and was lifted after 4 2-3 innings when his 80th pitch became an RBI double by Votto.

That left two men on, but Daniel Moskos got Jay Bruce to strike out swinging to end the inning.

Making his third career start, Locke was charged with one run, six hits and two walks.

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(Sports Network) – Rookie left-hander Jeff Locke makes the third start of his
career tonight when the Pittsburgh Pirates host the visiting Cincinnati Reds
in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park.

A second-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2006, Locke was 8-10 in 28
appearances in the minors this season, posting a 3.70 earned run average and
striking out 139 batters in 153 1/3 innings.

He made his initial big-league start at home against Florida on Sept. 10 and
took a 3-0 loss, then returned six days later for a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers in
Los Angeles.

In eight combined big-league innings, Locke has allowed 10 hits and six runs
while walking six and striking out one.

The Reds start 28-year-old Edinson Volquez, who’s lost three consecutive
starts.

The former National League All-Star, who last won on June 29 at Tampa Bay, was
sent to the minors after an 8-1 loss in St. Louis on July 5. He returned for a
4-1 loss at Colorado on Sept. 11 and was tagged for five runs and six hits in
6 2/3 innings of a 10-1 loss to Milwaukee on Sept. 17.

Volquez is 1-0 in six career starts against the Pirates with a 3.44 ERA.

On Wednesday in Cincinnati, Bronson Arroyo tossed his first shutout in over
two years, as the Reds handled the Houston Astros, 2-0, in the rubber match of
a three-game series.

Arroyo (9-12) gave up six hits and recorded his first shutout since August
2009. The right-hander struck out two and did not issue a walk in his first
win this season since Aug. 24.

Miguel Cairo hit a solo homer for the Reds, who finished their 2011 home
schedule with a 42-39 mark. Chris Heisey had an RBI single in the first
inning.

In Phoenix, Miguel Montero went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, as the Arizona
Diamondbacks hung on to defeat the Pirates, 8-,5 in the rubber match of a
three-game set.

Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf (1-3) was chased from the game in the third
frame when he loaded the bases without recording an out. He went two-plus
innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits and two walks.

Derrek Lee continued to swing a hot bat for Pittsburgh, going 3-for-4 with a
home run and two RBI.

Pittsburgh is 8-4 versus the Reds this season.

The Sports Network

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Updated Aug 21, 2011 11:45 AM ET

PITTSBURGH (AP)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed outfielder Jose Tabata to a six-year contract extension.

The Pirates announced Sunday that the deal comes with club options for 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The 23-year-old Tabata is hitting .267 with 17 RBIs in 75 games this year with the Pirates. He also has four home runs, 14 doubles and 15 stolen bases.

Tabata made his Major League debut last year on June 9 and hit .299 with 35 RBIs in 102 games.

Following the All-Star break, he produced a .322 average, which ranked seventh among all National League hitters. He had 93 hits, second in the league behind Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez.

Tabata was acquired by the Pirates from the New York Yankees in 2008.

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PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed outfielder Jose Tabata(notes)
to a six-year contract extension.

The Pirates announced Sunday that the deal comes with club options for 2017,
2018 and 2019.

The 23-year-old Tabata is hitting .267 with 17 RBIs in 75 games this year
with the Pirates. He also has four home runs, 14 doubles and 15 stolen bases.

Tabata made his Major League debut last year on June 9 and hit .299 with 35
RBIs in 102 games.

Following the All-Star break, he produced a .322 average, which ranked
seventh among all National League hitters. He had 93 hits, second in the league
behind Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez(notes).

Tabata was acquired by the Pirates from the New York Yankees in 2008.

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PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Pirates activated left fielder Jose Tabata(notes)
from the disabled list on Tuesday and optioned slumping third baseman Pedro
Alvarez(notes) to Triple-A Indianapolis for the second time this season.

Tabata had been out since June 27 with a strained left quadriceps. He played
in 13 minor-league rehab games with Class A Bradenton and Indianapolis, hitting
a combined .293 with six doubles.

Tabata was in the lineup Tuesday night and batting leadoff against St.
Louis. Tabata was hitting .265 with three home runs, 15 RBIs and 14 stolen bases
in 71 games when he was hurt in a game against Boston as he beat out an infield
single.

“I’m excited to be back and a little nervous, too,” Tabata said. “It’s
been a long time. It kind of feels like opening day again.”

Alvarez has hit .196 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 56 games in two
stints with the Pirates. He won the National League rookie of the month award
last September.

“We still believe in Pedro and that he will be a big part of what we’re
doing here,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “I told him to go down,
embrace it as a challenge and swing the bat with bad intentions.”

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(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

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