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.

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Philadelphia Phillies’ Hunter Pence pops out in the second inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Sunday, July 31, 2011, in Philadelphia.

Raul Ibanez homered twice and hit the game-winning double in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
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.
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 Pirates, trying to keep pace in a crowded NL Central race, left Philadelphia reeling but with two new bats. A day after they traded for Derrek Lee, the Pirates acquired outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the San Diego Padres.
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.
The Pirates are fading in the division and hope Lee and Ludwick can get them back on track.
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 considerations.
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.
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 offseason.
The veteran first baseman was signed to provide Pittsburgh’s offense 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.
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 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.
Worley, coming off his first career complete game, picked up where he left off, fanning five straight batters over the first and second innings. With his glasses and quirky mohawk, Worley has become an instant fan favorite. He struggled after his fast start, allowing seven hits and four runs in six innings.
Notes: The Pirates transferred C Ryan Doumit to the 60-day disabled list. … The Pirates have three games left vs. the NL East. … Ibanez had his first multi-homer game of the season

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—New to the area, Hunter Pence(notes) hitched a ride to the
ballpark with Chase Utley(notes).

Pence knows his way around the bases, though, and when he scored the winning
run on Raul Ibanez’s(notes) double, he found Utley and most of his new teammates at the
plate to mob him.

Two days into his stint with the Phillies, Pence knows this: “They have
fun, they work hard, they play hard.”

And they win.

Ibanez homered twice and hit the game-winning double in the 10th inning to
lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on
Sunday.

“Any of these guys can carry you for a day,” Pence said. “That’s the
beauty of it,”

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(notes) (0-2) in the
10th to score Pence and help the Phillies complete a three-game sweep.

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

Antonio Bastardo(notes) (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(notes) and
his tying blast was off Jose Veras(notes). The Phillies are a season-high 29 games over
.500 (68-39) and swept their fifth series of the season.

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

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 are fading in the division and hope Lee and Ludwick can get them
back on track.

Lyle Overbay(notes) 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(notes) 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 considerations.

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 offseason.

The veteran first baseman was signed to provide Pittsburgh’s offense 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(notes). 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(notes) 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’(notes) RBI double off
reliever Brad Lidge(notes). Xavier Paul(notes) had a two-RBI single in the fifth.

Worley, coming off his first career complete game, picked up where he left
off, fanning five straight batters over the first and second innings. With his
glasses and quirky mohawk, Worley has become an instant fan favorite. He
struggled after his fast start, allowing seven hits and four runs in six
innings.

Notes: The Pirates transferred C Ryan Doumit(notes) to the 60-day disabled list.
… The Pirates have three games left vs. the NL East. … Ibanez had his first
multi-homer game of the season

By: SportsDirect

The Houston Astros began the second half of the season the same way they did the first.

With a loss.

The Astros lost 4-0 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night to begin a six-game homestand, casualties of a masterful performance by Jeff Karstens, who pitched a five-hitter for his second career shutout and first since 2008.

It didn’t help that the Astros came out of the All-Star break struggling offensively, helping Karstens (8-4) extend his career-best winning streak to five games.

“He’s a hard pitcher to face when you’re coming out of the break after four days off,” Astros center fielder Michael Bourn said.

Houston starter Brett Myers (3-10) struck out a season-high 11 but gave up three early runs on the way to picking up his fourth loss in as many starts.

“After the third inning, I thought he threw the ball extremely well, a lot like he threw last year,” Astros manager Brad Mills said. “To see the six strikeouts out of the 11 hitters he faced after the triple in the third inning, that was pretty good. It was nice to see him so aggressive.”

Houston’s offense, by contrast, was anything but.

It was the Astros’ fifth straight defeat and ninth over the past 10 games. It was Houston’s fourth consecutive home loss and 17th over the past 20 games.

The defeat dropped them to 2-8 against the Pirates this season after finishing 11-4 against them in 2010.

The Astros dropped their April 1 season opener at Philadelphia 5-4. Three games later, they dropped to last place in the NL Central standings, where they have remained since.

Pittsburgh entered the game four over .500 at this point of the season for the first time since 1992. By night’s end, the Pirates were tied for first place in the Central.

Karstens held the Astros to just one hit — Hunter Pence’s single in the second — through the first five innings.

He retired 13 straight after Pence’s hit before allowing consecutive singles to pinch-hitter Chris Johnson and Bourn in the sixth. Karstens improved to 3-0 and dropped his ERA to 0.41 in three starts against the Astros this season.

“You don’t see it very often that a guy throws 83 pitches for a complete game, and he only had 18, 19 balls,” Mills said of Karstens. “It was pretty impressive. Everything was working for him. He was getting ahead of guys.”

And he did it at a fast pace, helping to wrap up the game in 2 hours, 20 minutes, which complicated things further for the Astros.

“He was too efficient,” Mills said. “The guys have done such a good job of lengthening him out, but every time we tried to do that, we were behind 0-2, and it became something that was really tough to get into.

“He wouldn’t really give us a chance (to slow him down). He kept pounding the zone.”

Bourn agreed.

“He was coming out (and) getting ahead real early,” he said. “That’s what was good for him. He wasn’t falling behind. He was attacking with the fastball.

“When (a pitcher’s) attacking, you either take or you swing early. He wasn’t missing too much.”

It was Karstens’ first shutout since Aug. 6, 2008, at Arizona.

Andrew McCutchen hit a one-out triple out of Bourn’s reach in the top of the third inning to drive in two runs for the Pirates, who won their second straight and sixth of their last 10.

“I made a mistake,” Myers said of his pitch to McCutchen. “I tried to go in and I pulled a little bit over the middle of the plate. They’re supposed to hit balls like that. I was hoping (Bourn) could run it down, but it got away from him.”

Alex Presley singled to lead off the game, stole second and scored on a one-out single to right by Neil Walker.

Pence reached third base — the only Astros player to do so — in the seventh on a single by Carlos Lee, but Brett Wallace grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Pinch-runner Xavier Paul scored on a fielding error by Astros second baseman Jeff Keppinger in the eighth to cap the scoring.

NOTES: The Pirates recalled LHP Joe Beimel (left elbow inflammation) from the 15-day DL on Friday. Pittsburgh optioned LHP Daniel Moskos to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday to clear a spot on the roster. … Friday was the 15th time in his career that Myers finished with double-digit strikeouts. … Houston OF Jason Bourgeois (right quadriceps strain) went 0 for 3 on Friday in his rehabilitation assignment with the Gulf Coast League Astros. He is scheduled to join Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday.

In an attempt to deflect criticism for some his selections on the National League All-Star team, San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy questioned Pirates’ skipper Clint Hurdle and Florida Marlins’ counterpart Jack McKeon for their reluctance to lobby on behalf of their own players.

“I don’t think lobbying is part of what you do in that position,” Hurdle responded this afternoon. “He earned that opportunity. Their organization earned that opportunity by winning the National League championship.”

The two have known each other since they were teenagers.

“There’s disappointment on both sides,” Hurdle said. “I love Boch. I have the most professional respect for Boch. He’s a better manager than I’ll ever be. My feelings came from the heart, and if he felt disrespect or hurtful, then I’ll apologize for that. That doesn’t change my feelings.”

Save your sorries, I say. They’re not necessary.

Bochy flat out abused his privileges as the National League manager, and anyone with a fair bone in his body knows it.

Based on performance and resume, the Giants deserved two pitchers on the staff—Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson—not the four who were picked instead. That would have allowed for the inclusion of Kevin Correia and the Florida Marlins’ Anibal Sanchez, who should be in Phoenix next week.

One or both may get there by default as replacement players. Cain and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels are scheduled to start on Sunday afternoon, which would take them out of All-Star game consideration. According to the players’ vote, Correia is the next starter in line.

While Bochy is correct to say that Andrew McCutchen has elevated his game in recent weeks, those numbers still count. At the very least, the center fielder should be one of the five candidates for the final roster spot, which will be determined in an Internet vote.

This is an ideal time for Bud Selig to step in, invoke his good-of-the-game powers and right some wrongs, not only as they concern the Pirates but other teams. At the very least, the commish should conduct a thorough review of the selection process in order to prevent this kind of blatant bias in the future.

For the record, in 2008, when Hurdle was the National League manager, two of his fourth-place Colorado Rockies were on the team. Outfielder Matt Holliday got there in a vote by the fans, while Hurdle chose 11-game-winner Aaron Cook on his own.

Nice to know that there’s at least one manager who won’t allow his ego to get in the way of what should be a showcase event for all of baseball, not a few chosen teams.

Follow me on Twitter @PaulLadewski

(For complete Pirates coverage, see Piratesreport.com.)

(Sports Network) – Surprise early-season standout Kevin Correia can get the
Pittsburgh Pirates back to .500 today when they host the New York Mets in game
three of a four-game set at PNC Park.

The Mets entered Saturday’s game with a chance to get back to .500, but were
denied when Andrew McCutchen stroked a two-run double and James McDonald
tossed six innings in the Pirates’ 3-2 win.

McDonald (4-4) gave up two runs, eight hits and three walks for the Pirates,
who rebounded from an 8-1 loss in the opener and are 7-4 in their last 11
contests. Jose Tabata is riding a five-game hitting streak.

R.A. Dickey (3-7) went the distance for New York, allowing three runs on eight
hits over eight frames. Jose Reyes had two hits and leads the majors with 32
multi-hit games this season. He has reached base safely in 52 of his 61 games
this season and leads the majors with a .341 average, 91 hits and 11 triples.

The Mets lost for just the third time in their last nine games.

New York is fourth in the National League’s East Division and 7 1/2 games
behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, while the Pirates are fourth in
the NL Central and 5 1/2 back of first-place St. Louis.

Correia, who entered the season with a 36-43 record in the big leagues, was
5-4 after a 9-6 loss at Milwaukee on May 15, but has since bounced back with a
four-start unbeaten run.

He won consecutive decisions over Detroit, the Chicago Cubs and the Mets
through June 1, then pitched five innings in the Pirates’ 8-5 win against
Arizona in his last start on June 7.

Against New York, the 30-year-old Californian allowed six hits and two runs
across six innings in upping his career mark against the Mets to 2-3 in 11
games — five starts.

Pittsburgh is 9-5 in the 14 games he’s pitched.

For New York, 32-year-old lefty Chris Capuano continues his comeback with his
14th appearance of the season and 12th start.

The Massachusetts native was an 18-game winner with the Milwaukee Brewers in
2005, then won 11 and five games the following two years before not pitching
at all in the big leagues in 2008 and 2009.

He returned to make 24 appearances with the Brewers in 2010, then signed with
the Mets as a free agent on Jan. 3, 2011.

Capuano took the loss in the June 1 matchup with Correia and the Pirates after
allowing eight hits and five runs in six innings. He rebounded for a 2-1 win
at Milwaukee on June 7, giving up just six hits and a run in six innings. Mets
starters have posted a 2.70 ERA over their last 16 games — the lowest in the
majors over that period.

The Mets and Pirates split a four-game set in Flushing, N.Y. from May 30-June
2, but New York is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings overall.

The Sports Network

PITTSBURGH – Though he’s known for his heavy hitting, it instead was Micah Owings’ legs that got a rally going Thursday night, and you can count Diamondbacks center fielder Chris Young among those surprised at just how quickly Owings made it down the line in the eighth inning at PNC Park.

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Diamondbacks-Pirates series | Thursday’s box | MLB scoreboard

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“He was floating down the line,” Young said, smiling. “He had a little adrenaline going.”

After Owings legged out an infield single, Young followed with a two-run blast, giving the Diamondbacks the only runs scored in a 2-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a win that allowed them to avoid a three-game sweep.

They won despite a shorter, yet still effective, outing from Josh Collmenter and with David Hernandez working the ninth in place of J.J. Putz, whose stiff back sidelined him for at least a night.

The glow of the Diamondbacks’ incredible three-week tear is starting to fade, in large part because of a slumping offense. In the past nine games, in which the D-Backs have gone 4-5, they are hitting just .232 and averaging a shade north of three runs per game.

Though the bullpen did, in fact, uncharacteristically blow leads in the first two games of this series, the offense might have been the hidden culprit.

“In the last couple of games,” Young said, “we haven’t been able to put the runs up for them, and we’re kind of putting them in some situations they probably shouldn’t have been in in the first place.”

The offense again was stagnant Thursday, getting shut down by Pirates right-hander Jeff Karstens (seven shutout innings) before Owings came to the plate against reliever Chris Resop with one out in the eighth.

Owings hit a grounder to the left of third baseman Josh Harrison, who lunged, popped up and threw to first. But Owings’ long strides got him there a split second before the ball, setting the stage for Young.

“Little bit,” Owings said when asked if he could smell a hit as he busted it down the line. “Now I’ve got the first (hit) of the year out of the way.”

Young got ahead 2-0, and Resop fired a fastball up in the zone. Young crushed it into the left-field stands.

For manager Kirk Gibson, it was just another example of Young’s development, citing improvement in his ability to capitalize in hitter’s counts.

“I think he’s getting better at knowing what kind of pitch he wants to hit in those situations,” Gibson said. “He put a quick swing on it. It was big.”

Young said: “When you get ahead, you’re basically looking for that cookie. A 2-0, 3-0 count, you don’t ever want to swing at the pitcher’s pitch. You want to look in one area and if he throws it in one area, don’t guide the bat to it, just whale at it, almost.

“Right there, you have the advantage and the pitcher has to come to you. You try to use it to your advantage as much as you can.”

View from the press box

Kirk Gibson was among the many in the Diamondbacks clubhouse who were heartened by the news that Bob Melvin had landed another managing gig, taking over the Oakland Athletics. “I texted him, ‘Congratulations. You’re back where you belong.’ He texted me right back and said, ‘I’ll see you soon.’ ” The Diamondbacks visit the A’s in three weeks.

Rewind

Putz unavailable: Closer J.J. Putz was not available to pitch Thursday because of lower-back stiffness, but he seemed to consider the injury almost trivially minor, at least judging by the surprise he displayed when approached by reporters after the game.

“We were erring on the side of caution,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.”

So it’s not as bad as the back stiffness that sidelined him for a couple of weeks during spring training?

“It’s not even close, not even in the same region,” he said. “I think I just slept in that heavenly bed wrong.”

For what it’s worth, that heavenly bed belongs to the Westin.

Hernandez effective: After giving up five runs without recording an out Tuesday, right-hander David Hernandez threw a perfect ninth to earn the save in place of Putz.

Hernandez made a terrific diving stop of a Josh Harrison comebacker and threw from his knees to get the first out of the inning.

“That will make some highlight reels,” manager Kirk Gibson said.

Collmenter solid: By going five shutout innings, right-hander Josh Collmenter extended his scoreless streak to 13 innings. He might have pitched deeper in the game if not for a 31-pitch fifth inning in which opposing pitcher Jeff Karstens (11 pitches) and Xavier Paul (10 pitches) each had drawn-out at-bats.

“That’s where another out pitch would probably come in handy,” Collmenter said. “They fouled off pitches and were trying to wait for me to make a mistake, and fortunately, I didn’t.”

Up Next

Florida Marlins

The Marlins beat the Diamondbacks on May 31 but hadn’t won since then entering Thursday, going from two games back in the National League East to five games behind the Philadelphia Phillies. Of their seven consecutive losses, six had come by one run. They look like a team in disarray. Their offense has been slumping, averaging scoring two runs or fewer in four of the past five games, leading to the dismissal of hitting coach John Mallee, who was replaced by Eduardo Perez. They were hitting just .175 with men in scoring position during the seven-game losing streak.

PITTSBURGH — Lyle Overbay hit a three-run double to cap a five-run eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for an 8-5 win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.

Arizona was in position for its seventh consecutive road win after Daniel Hudson allowed only one earned run through seven innings, but Daniel Hernandez (2-2) did not retire any of the six batters he faced in the eighth.

Jose Tabata had an RBI double and Josh Harrison an RBI single before Overbay’s line drive to right-center with the bases loaded.

The Diamondbacks lost for the first time in 25 games this season when leading after seven innings.

Juan Miranda had a home run among his career-high four hits, Kelly Johnson homered and had three RBIs and Chris Young also homered for Arizona.

Andrew McCutchen scored three times and Chris Snyder had a pair of sacrifice flies for Pittsburgh.

Chris Resop (2-1) struck out Ryan Roberts to end the top of the eighth, and Joel Hanrahan had two strikeouts working a perfect ninth for his 15th save in as many opportunities.

Hudson was in line to win for the seventh time in his past nine starts upon leaving after seven innings, being charged with three hits and one walk. Hudson had seven strikeouts and retired 12 of the final 13 he faced. But with his pitch count at 105, he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

That decision was made by bench coach Alan Trammell, who managed the Diamondbacks while Kirk Gibson served a one-game suspension.

Reliever Esmerling Vasquez retired all three batters he faced after relieving Hernandez in the eighth — available because he is appealing his own three-game suspension after he was judged to have been throwing at hitters in Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals after both teams had been warned.

All three of Arizona’s home runs were solo shots. Johnson homered for the second consecutive game, giving him a team-high 12, in the first. Miranda’s was his sixth, leading off a three-run fifth that also included a two-run double by Johnson.

When Young hit his 11th home run to left to lead off the eighth, it appeared the Diamondbacks were on their way to another win, their 19th in 24 games. Instead, they have a two-game losing streak.

After giving up three runs on five hits in the fifth, Pirates starter Kevin Correia’s evening was over. He was charged with four runs and eight hits. Correia failed in his attempt to take over sole possession of the majors lead in victories with nine.

Notes: The announced attendance was 12,378 in the first Pirates game since an average of more than 36,000 came to each of three weekend games against the Philadelphia Phillies. … Both teams selected UCLA right-handed pitchers among the first three picks of the draft on Monday.

It’s unfortunate to lose a game 9-8, as the Pirates did to the Mets the other night. It’s terrible to lose such a game after being ahead 7-0.

The game started off well enough for the visitors. They sent eight batters to the plate in the top of the first inning, all but Maholm. The result: a 3-0 lead. They added another three runs, mostly on a homer by Neil walker, then topped it off by an extra run in the top of the third, 7-0. The historical record says that the visiting team wins 97 percent of the time starting from this point.

Then the dam broke, as it had to at some time. Maholm gave up three runs in the bottom of the third,with two singles and a homer. Even from here, the Pirates had a 90 percent chance of winning, as the Mets had used up one-seventh of their remaining opportunities to score those three runs.

Things were fine, with a blank score, for two more innings. But then Maholm fell apart again in the bottom of the sixth. He has a “last inning” problem, which means that he will crater unless he is “pulled” before reaches his limit. That limit was reached earlier than usual in Citifield, at 5.2 innings. Worse Chris Resop had a blown save, as the Mets tied it 7-7 on a passed ball and an inherited runner scored.

The next Pirate reliever, Jose Veras, took the loss in the bottom of the eighth. It started off with Ronny Paulino, of all people, the former Pirate ne’er do well who’s now a Met, having gotten to New York City via Philadelphia and Florida. He singled to center, and was lifted for a pinch runner, Harris.

A balk and wild pitch sent him to third. Then FOUR walks loaded the bases and sent home a runner, with Harris having scored in the meantime. Now it was 9-7 Mets.

The Pirates scored a run in the top of the ninth, not enough to close the gap.

It was an epic victory for the Mets, who had not come from so far behind in two decades.

Meaning that it was an epic loss for the Bucs.

All season, the Philadelphia Phillies have waited to have their entire everyday lineup available.

Friday, they finally got it. What it didn’t get was any sustained offense.

Cole Hamels allowed only one hit in eight innings, but the Phillies managed only six hits in a 2-1, 12-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“We didn’t hit,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. “We need to score some runs. Hamels pitched very good. The bullpen was good. We went five innings where we didn’t square a ball up. We went 15 outs and didn’t hit a ball on the nose.”

Jose Tabata hit a game-ending single with two outs in the 12th inning as the Phillies lost their third consecutive game for only the second time this season.

Philadelphia has scored only four runs in those three games.

“I think this lineup is going to hit,” Manuel said. “It has to hit. I’ve got confidence in those guys hitting. I’ve seen those guys hit for four or five years, some of those guys for six or seven years. I don’t see any reason why we won’t hit. We can get started any time we want, though. That’s how I look at it. I like the lineup.”

Outfielder Shane Victorino was activated from the disabled list Friday; he, Chase Utley, Ruiz and Domonic Brown had all missed parts of the season thus far with injury.

But having all their regulars available did little to help an offense that ranks a pedestrian 18th in the majors in runs.

“It’s good to have everyone together,” Hamels said. “Now we need to try to keep guys healthy, go out and play to the best of our ability and try to get on a positive roll.”

Tabata smacked a sinking liner off of Danys Baez (1-3) toward the hole on the right side that a lunging Utley got a glove on but could not handle. Right fielder Ben Francisco’s throw was not in time, giving Tabata his second RBI of the game when Xavier Paul scored from second. Paul had singled with two outs and stole a base.

Pittsburgh won for the third time in four games.

Hamels and Jeff Karstens had dueling one-hitters going through five innings.

“I really felt fortunate to get out of it by giving up only one run,” Hamels said. “I wasn’t happy about how I executed my pitches. A lot of guys hit balls hard but they were right at guys. We played good defense and that saved me.”

Daniel Moskos (1-0) earned his first major league win for Pittsburgh.

Moskos worked a perfect top of the 12th — surviving a Carlos Ruiz fly to the warning track in right-center.

The crowd of 33,861 was the Pirates’ third-largest of the season — heavily aided by several thousand Phillies fans who had made the cross-state drive.

Jimmy Rollins led of the game with an infield single, but Karstens retired 15 of the next 16 he faced.

After Karstens hit Ryan Howard with a pitch later in the first, the Phillies didn’t have another baserunner until the sixth. They had two on and none out with the heart of their order coming up, prompting the sea of red in the stands to start chanting “Let’s go Phillies!”

Placido Polanco lined into a double play, but Rollins stole second, and Utley drove him in when he softly lined a single that found its way through the right side of the infield.

The Pirates tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the inning without a hit.

Cedeno led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Karstens. A wild pitch got him to third and he scored when Tabata flew out to deep right.

Karstens, who had two strikeouts and did not walk a batter, continued a recent stretch of good Pirates starting pitching. Paul Maholm allowed six earned runs in Pittsburgh’s previous game Thursday, snapping a streak of 13 games in which starters allowed two earned runs or less.

“We know what their starting staff is like, and we know what our job is: Try to go out there and keep pace with Cole and give our team a chance to win,” Karstens said. “It took a little longer than we wanted but we eventually got the big hit in the 12th.

“It was a fun game,” Karstens said.

Hamels pitched well enough to win what would have been his fourth consecutive start for the third time in his career and tie Pittsburgh’s Kevin Correia for the majors’ lead in victories with eight. He has allowed only 20 earned runs over his past 11 starts.

“He was really sharp, Hamels,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “There wasn’t a lot of hittable balls for us.”

NOTES: The walkoff hit was Tabata’s second of the season, the other coming April 8 against Colorado. … Victorino, out since May 18 with a strained right hamstring, went 0 for 5. … The Pirates are 21-12 against the Phillies at 10-year-old PNC Park. … Philadelphia has lost nine of its past 14 road games. … The only other time Philadelphia lost as many as three in a row was a four-game skid May 14-17. … .. Rollins stole two bases, extending the Phillies’ streak to 11 consecutive successful steals and 23 out of 24.

Updated Jun 4, 2011 12:28 AM ET

PITTSBURGH (AP)

With each late inning, Pittsburgh put the potential winning run in scoring position.

In the ninth, 10th and 11th, a Philadelphia reliever walked a Pirates batter, only to strand him at second or third when Pittsburgh couldn’t come up with a clutch hit.

Jose Tabata almost legged out a weak grounder to third with two outs and a man on third in the 10th. He didn’t waste his second such opportunity two innings later.

Tabata hit a game-ending single with two outs in the 12th inning, lifting the Pirates to a 2-1 win over the Phillies in a game without an extra-base hit.

”I think in the moment, you want to win a the game so you put a little pressure on yourself,” Tabata said.

”You saw me before with somebody on third base and (not come through),” he added. ”But the next time, it’s a new time, and said to myself, ‘OK, this is my moment. Come on.”’

Tabata smacked a sinking liner off of Danys Baez (1-3) toward the hole on the right side that a lunging second baseman Chase Utley got a glove on but could not handle. Right fielder Ben Francisco’s throw was not in time, giving Tabata his second RBI of the game when Xavier Paul scored from second. Paul had singled with two outs and stole a base.

Pittsburgh won for the third time in four games, beating the four-time reigning National League East champions who have the best record in the NL for the fourth time in five games at PNC Park, dating to last season.

”When you play teams like that, you want to go out there and prove a point,” Paul said. ”Make a statement that we can play with these guys. We’re on a little roll here.”

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