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.

Read More: Dana Eveland (P – LOS), Eugenio Velez (LF – LOS), Russ Mitchell (1B – LOS), Dee Gordon (SS – LOS), Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates, Sep 1, 2011 1:05 PM PDT

September 1 is here, which in the wonderful world of baseball means minor league promotions and active rosters expanding. The Los Angeles Dodgers before their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday made three moves. Shortstop Dee Gordon was activated from the disabled list, and pitcher Dana Eveland and infielder Russ Mitchell were promoted from Triple A Albuquerque, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

Gordon was placed on the disabled list in August with a right shoulder contusion. He was eligible to return as soon as August 25, but the Dodgers stretched his rehabilitation a tad longer so they wouldn’t have to send anyone down before activating Gordon. After all, they wouldn’t want to lose Eugenio Velez and his no hits in 30 at-bats.

Eveland, 27, made 27 starts in Triple A and was 12-8 with a 4.38 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He had his contract purchased from Albuquerque, taking the last remaining spot on the 40-man roster. Eveland’s last major league appearance came on June 23, 2010, while with the Pirates.

Mitchell, 26, was with the Dodgers earlier this season, and had three hits in 26 at-bats, including a double and a home run. He hit .283/.372/.503 in 93 games with the Isotopes this season, his second year in Triple A.

Thursday’s 1:10 p.m. PDT game will be televised by KCAL. For more news and information on the Dodgers, be sure to read True Blue LA.

By Eric Stephen

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Sep 1, 2011 – The Los Angeles Dodgers open a four-city, 11-game road trip on Thursday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a makeup game that is more an inconvenience than anything else, for both teams. The Dodgers originally had a 10-game road trip scheduled through three cities: Atlanta, Washington DC, and San Francisco — but added this game after having their May 12 game in Pittsburgh rained out.

The Dodgers have a stretch of games on 24 straight days, which had to be approved by the MLB Players Association. But the Pirates are inconvenienced too, as today was a scheduled off day for them as well. In fact, they are in the middle of their own 10-game road trip, as they finished a series in Houston Wednesday night and travel to Chicago to battle the Cubs starting Friday.

Dana Eveland, whose last major league game was on June 23, 2010 while with the Pirates, will be promoted by the Dodgers today to start the game. Eveland was an All-Star in the Pacific Coast League this season, going 12-8 with a 4.38 ERA with the Triple A Albuquerque Isotopes.

Brad Lincoln, who made 19 Triple A starts of his own this season, gets the start for the Pirates. Lincoln is 1-0 with a 3.42 ERA this season in Pittsburgh in seven games, including three starts. In each of his three starts for the Pirates this season, Lincoln has pitched six innings and allowed two runs or less.

Thursday’s 1:10 p.m. PDT game will be televised by KCAL. For more news and information on the Dodgers, be sure to read True Blue LA.

Read More: Dana Eveland (P – LOS), Brad Lincoln (P – PIT), Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates, Sep 1, 2011 1:05 PM PDT

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CINCINNATI (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired outfielder John Bowker from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday for a player to be named or cash, adding a left-handed hitter to their bench.

The 28-year-old Bowker played in 19 games for the Pirates this season, going 4 for 17 with a double before he was designated for assignment on May 4. Bowker batted .306 in 106 games for Triple-A Indianapolis with 15 homers and 76 RBIs.

He drove over from Indianapolis and joined the Phillies before the third game of their series against the Cincinnati Reds.

“I’m kind of in shock,” Bowker said. “I’m pretty excited. I started the season with Pittsburgh, then I was designated for assignment. While I was in Indy, I tried to keep a good attitude. It helped to get at-bats. That was important.”

The NL East-leading Phillies wanted to improve their outfield depth and their bench. Bowker will be eligible for the playoff roster. He has played right field, left field and first base.

“The scouts say he’s a good hitter,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “He’ll give you a good at-bat and a little bit of pop. He gives us some balance. He’ll definitely help us.”

Philadelphia optioned reliever Michael Schwimer to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following a 9-0 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The Phillies also transferred right-hander Jose Contreras to the 60-day disabled list to create an opening on the 40-man roster for Bowker.

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired outfielder John Bowker from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday for a player to be named or cash, adding a left-handed hitter to their bench.

The 28-year-old Bowker played in 19 games for the Pirates this season, going 4 for 17 with a double before he was designated for assignment on May 4. Bowker batted .306 in 106 games for Triple-A Indianapolis with 15 homers and 76 RBIs.

He drove over from Indianapolis and joined the Phillies before the third game of their series against the Cincinnati Reds.

“I’m kind of in shock,” Bowker said. “I’m pretty excited. I started the season with Pittsburgh, then I was designated for assignment. While I was in Indy, I tried to keep a good attitude. It helped to get at-bats. That was important.”

The NL East-leading Phillies wanted to improve their outfield depth and their bench. Bowker will be eligible for the playoff roster. He has played right field, left field and first base.

“The scouts say he’s a good hitter,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “He’ll give you a good at-bat and a little bit of pop. He gives us some balance. He’ll definitely help us.”

Philadelphia optioned reliever Michael Schwimer to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following a 9-0 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The Phillies also transferred right-hander Jose Contreras to the 60-day disabled list to create an opening on the 40-man roster for Bowker.

Dontrelle Willis is healthy and satisfied with the way he’s pitching, even if he isn’t earning any wins.

Willis remained winless in eight starts this season, allowing three runs on eight hits in six innings, and the Cincinnati Reds lost 5-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

Willis remained 0-3 since his promotion from Triple-A Louisville July 10, but he holds a respectable 4.14 ERA and had allowed more than three runs in an outing only once.

“A lot of things dictate wins and losses,” Willis said. “I like the way I’m throwing the ball. I like the way I’m competing and I like the way the guys are competing for me. It’s just a matter of pitch there or one thing there that seems to make the difference in every game.”

Charlie Morton didn’t have his best stuff, but he continued his mastery of Cincinnati with six effective innings. Morton’s ERA is at 0.93 ERA in 29 innings against the Reds this season.

Neil Walker had two RBI singles, the second driving in Andrew McCutchen with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, and McCutchen and Ryan Ludwick each had two hits for the Pirates, who have won three of five.

Willis left his previous start on Sunday in the third inning due to soreness in his left forearm. An MRI the next day did not reveal any issues, clearing Willis to start on Saturday.

“We were trying to get him that first victory, big-time,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “We stuck with him a long time.”

Walker’s hit off Aroldis Chapman (2-1) was his third hit of the game, and Brandon Wood followed with an RBI double, allowing Pittsburgh to improve to 8-3 against the Reds this season.

“They kind of bled Chapman there,” Baker said of the Pirates. “They got a couple of soft hits, especially the little blooper to right (by Walker).”

Joey Votto twice drove in Brandon Phillips with RBI singles for the Reds, who have lost four of six. Phillips reached base four times.

Recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day, rookie Tony Watson (1-2) won his first major league game by getting the final two outs of the top of the seventh after the Reds had tied it at 3 against Chris Resop.

“He gave us what we needed in a tight spot, definitely,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said of Watson, who woke up at 6 this morning and drove five hours to Pittsburgh.

“A day I’ll never forget,” Watson said.

Pittsburgh’s Jose Veras pitched a scoreless eighth — striking out Drew Stubbs and Dave Sappelt after allowing the first two batters of the inning to reach. A day after allowing a season-high three runs in taking the loss, Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect the ninth for his 31st save but first since July 28.

Morton had a scoreless innings streak of 24 snapped in the final inning of his most recent outing on Sunday when Hanrahan allowed an inherited runner to score.

Morton allowed a run for the second consecutive inning when Phillips led off Saturday’s game with a single, moved to second on a groundout and came home when Votto singled to right.

But Morton faced only one over the minimum over the next 4 2-3 innings before Phillips and Votto each singled again to produce a run in the sixth. Morton was charged with two runs on seven hits, a walk and two strikeouts. He has allowed three runs in four starts versus the Reds this season.

“Successes breeds confidence,” Hurdle said. “He went out there against that team today with far from his best stuff, but delivered a very gutsy performance, a very gritty performance and held them to two runs in six innings.

“He seems to enjoy the challenge of facing that offense,” Hurdle said. “It’s a very good offense.”

RBI singles by Ronny Cedeno in the fourth and Ryan Ludwick and Walker — consecutively in the fifth — gave Pittsburgh the lead, and Morton was in line to improve to 4-0 against Cincinnati this season after he was lifted following six innings.

But the Reds quickly tied the game against Resop when Ramon Hernandez doubled in Stubbs.

NOTES: Willis went 0 for 2, snapping his six-game hitting streak. He had a hit in every game in which he had an at-bat this season. … Not counting the 2006 All-Star game, the game was the first televised by Fox at PNC Park since 2004. … The crowd of 37,826 was Pittsburgh’s 16th sellout of the season, most since 2001. It was the eighth consecutive Saturday sellout there. … Reds Sunday starter Mike Leake has allowed only seven earned runs in five career starts against Pittsburgh. No current Pirates players have homered off of him. … The previous time Pirates RHP James McDonald faced Cincinnati on July 19, he pitched into the seventh and was part of a combined shutout. McDonald starts Sunday. … Hurdle said RHP Brad Lincoln would start the second game of a doublehader on Monday vs. Milwaukee. He also indicated that RHP Ross Ohlendorf would be recalled to start Tuesday’s game.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PITTSBURGH — Kevin Correia is convinced he can pitch effectively at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates starter also knows, however, that he’s running out of time this season to prove it.

Correia struggled again at home on Friday night, getting knocked around for six runs in six innings of an eventual 11-8 loss to Cincinnati.

A late Pittsburgh rally allowed Correia to get off the hook for the defeat. It proved little solace to the veteran right-hander, whose ERA rose to 7.75 in 12 games on the hill at the quirky ballpark along the Allegheny River.

“I still don’t believe it’s a home and road thing,” Correia said. “I’m completely comfortable throwing the ball here. I’ve pitched well in the majority of my starts but I’ve had too many big innings.”

Correia gave up six runs and eight hits — including three home runs — in six innings, walking one and striking out one to continue his Jekyll-and-Hyde season.

The 30-year-old is among the best starters in baseball on the road. His 10 victories away from home lead the majors. His record remains 2-8 at home.

He’s not sure what the issue is, but he got some unexpected help in the video room on Friday when manager Clint Hurdle was ejected in the fifth for arguing balls and strikes. Hurdle took the time to review Correia’s mechanics.

“When he makes a mistake he gets hit,” Hurdle said. “There’s no misses, no line drives at somebody. They’re all squared up.”

Hurdle and Correia missed a wild finish in which Pittsburgh clawed out of a four-run deficit to tie the game 8-8 only to watch it slip away in the ninth thanks to an uncharacteristically sloppy performance from all-star closer Joel Hanrahan (0-2).

The burly right-hander issued a leadoff walk to Toronto native Joey Votto in the ninth and never recovered, giving up three runs while managing to get just one out.

“It just boils down to a leadoff walk right there,” Hanrahan said. “You can’t have that in a situation like that. You’ve got to get the first out and go from there.”

The Pirates had hoped to give Hanrahan the ball with the lead, but some overly aggressive baserunning cost the chance.

Pittsburgh runners were thrown out at home twice in the eighth. Garrett Jones was easily gunned down while trying to score from second on a single by Andrew McCutchen, and McCutchen met the same fate three batters later when Cincinnati centre fielder Drew Stubbs’ perfect throw prevented the speedy McCutchen from scoring on a shallow fly ball by Ryan Ludwick.

“Stubby saved the game,” Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. “That’s one of best centre fielders around right there. He gets good reads and breaks on balls and he gunned down one of the quickest men in this league.”

Hurdle defended the decision to send both runners.

“(Sending Jones) didn’t work out and I don’t think there’s any doubt you send McCutchen when you’ve got a chance there to put the run in and be on top,” Hurdle said.

Brandon Phillips went 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs for Cincinnati. Ryan Hanigan added a solo shot and drove in two insurance runs in the ninth off Hanrahan.

“The way it kept going back and forth, it was like a tennis match out there,” Phillips said. “I’m just glad we came out on top.”

It was a wild end to an eventful day for Cincinnati. Storms knocked out the electricity at the team’s hotel on Thursday night, rattling the normally unflappable Phillips.

“It was crazy when we first got in,” Phillips said. “You’re going to a hotel where you have no AC and no lights. I could have sworn somebody was in my room at one point. I’m not going to lie to you, I was scared.”

Travis Wood (6-5) picked up the win in relief. Francisco Cordero pitched a perfect ninth inning to collect his 25th save.

Brandon Wood broke out of a lengthy slump, going 2 for 3 with three RBIs for Pittsburgh. McCutchen, Jones, Jose Tabata and Ronny Cedeno also had two hits apiece for the Pirates but Pittsburgh couldn’t quite get over the top.

“We kept fighting, we kept scratching and clawing,” Hurdle said. “We kept finding a way to get back in it to tie it up. We were one punch away from creating some serious separation.”

NOTES: The game started after a 41-minute rain delay. … Wood snapped an 0-for-18 slump with a single to lead off the sixth. … The series continues Saturday. Charlie Morton (9-6, 3.43 ERA) gets the start for Pittsburgh. Morton is 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA against the Reds this year. Dontrelle Willis (0-3, 4.08) starts for the Reds. Willis left his last start against San Diego with a sore left forearm but was OK’d to pitch after an MRI revealed no significant injury.

Joey Votto hit his 21st homer of the season and later scored the game-winning run as the Reds beat the Pirates for just the third time in 10 tries this season.

Brandon Phillips went 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs for Cincinnati. Ryan Hanigan added a solo shot and drove in two insurance runs in the ninth off Hanrahan (0-2).

“The way it kept going back and forth, it was like a tennis match out there,” Phillips said. “I’m just glad we came out on top.”

It was a wild end to an eventful day for Cincinnati. Storms knocked out the electricity at the team’s hotel on Thursday night, rattling the normally unflappable Phillips.

“It was crazy when we first got in,” Phillips said. “You’re going to a hotel where you have no AC and no lights. I could have sworn somebody was in my room at one point. I’m not going to lie to you, I was scared.”

Travis Wood (6-5) picked up the win in relief, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth when center fielder Drew Stubbs threw out Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen, who attempted to score from third on a shallow fly by Ryan Ludwick.

“’’Stubby saved the game,” Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. “That’s one of best center fielders around right there. He gets good reads and breaks on balls and he gunned down one of the quickest men in this league.”

Francisco Cordero pitched a perfect ninth inning to collect his 25th save.

Brandon Wood broke out of a lengthy slump, going 2 for 3 with three RBIs for Pittsburgh. McCutchen, Garrett Jones, Jose Tabata and Ronny Cedeno also had two hits apiece for the Pirates but Pittsburgh made outs at the plate twice in the eighth.

“We kept fighting, we kept scratching and clawing,” said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle, who was ejected in the fifth for arguing balls and strikes. “We kept finding a way to get back in it to tie it up. We were one punch away from creating some serious separation.”

Hanrahan, in the midst of a dominant year, issued a rare leadoff walk to Votto to start the inning. Votto moved to third on a one-out single by Dave Sappelt. Stubbs followed with a chopper to second. Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker tried to get Votto at the plate but the ball deflected off catcher Ryan Doumit’s glove. Votto slapped the plate for emphasis and Sappelt and Stubbs both moved up a base as the ball rolled to the backstop.

“It just boils down to a leadoff walk right there,” Hanrahan said. “You can’t have that in a situation like that. You’ve got to get the first out and go from there.”

Hanigan followed with a sharp single up the middle to provide the final margin and chase Hanrahan, who stalked to the dugout after the worst outing of his All-Star season.

ARLINGTON, TX — The Texas Rangers have acquired right-handed pitcher Tim Wood from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a waiver deal.

The Rangers got Wood on Thursday for either a player to be named or cash. Texas optioned Wood to Triple-A Round Rock.

The 28-year-old Wood was 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games for Pittsburgh this season. He was leading the Triple-A International League with 23 saves for Indianapolis.

The Pirates designated Wood for assignment last Friday.

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers have acquired right-handed pitcher Tim Wood from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a waiver deal.

The Rangers got Wood on Thursday for either a player to be named or cash. Texas optioned Wood to Triple-A Round Rock.

The 28-year-old Wood was 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games for Pittsburgh this season. He was leading the Triple-A International League with 23 saves for Indianapolis.

The Pirates designated Wood for assignment last Friday.

(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

(Sports Network) – In just a matter of weeks the Pittsburgh Pirates have gone
from the penthouse to the outhouse and watched their brief lead atop the NL
Central standings turn to dust.

Mired in a season-worst 10-game losing streak and 10 games off the pace in the
division, the Pirates are out west hoping to put an end to their woes in
Monday’s opener of a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at
AT&T Park.

Pittsburgh was able to split a four-game series in Atlanta before suffering
sweeps at the hands of the Phillies, Cubs and Padres. It lost all seven games
on a recent homestand, including three straight versus San Diego over the
weekend. The Pirates tried to stop the bleeding on Sunday, but dropped a 7-3
decision to fall for the 12th time in the past 13 games. Starting pitcher
Kevin Correia allowed four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings to suffer the
loss and Brandon Wood led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three
runs batted in. Xavier Paul chipped in two hits for the Pirates, who were
seven games over .500 (51-44) after a win over the Reds on July 19 and now
have just three wins since then (3-15).

“It’s amazing how quick things can change. On the other hand, we can change
them in our direction quick as well,” Wood said about his team’s recent
struggles.

San Diego outscored Pittsburgh by a count of 35-10 in the series. The Pirates
will also visit Milwaukee for three games on this upcoming road trip. Hoping
to get the Buccos back into the win column tonight will be starter Charlie
Morton. Morton is just 1-3 over his last seven starts and threw seven shutout
innings for a no-decision in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Cubs. Morton was
coming off a start at Philadelphia in which he gave up eight runs — six
earned — and nine hits in four innings.

Morton has performed rather well on the road this season with a 5-2 mark in
nine visiting assignments, but is just 1-3 with a 3.48 ERA in five career
starts against San Francisco. He faced the Giants in a 3-2 loss on April 26 at
PNC Park and did not figure into the decision with six innings of one-run ball
and six strikeouts.

San Francisco has endured its struggles as well and was able to gain some sort
of order with Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Phillies in the finale of a four-game
series from AT&T Park. Giants ace Tim LIncecum hit the 10-win mark (10-9) by
holding Philadelphia to a run on seven hits with five K’s over 7 2/3 innings.
Javier Lopez got the final out of the eighth inning before closer Brian Wilson
came on to register his 34th save of the season. Wilson and Braves rookie
closer Craig Kimbrel are tied for the most saves in the majors.

The Giants were able to maintain their slim half-game lead over the Arizona
Diamondbacks in the National League West.

“We got the Diamondbacks nipping at our heels … We have to use this as a
[spark] to a winning streak,” Lincecum said.

Jeff Keppinger went 4-for-4 with an RBI, while Orlando Cabrera and Chris
Stewart both drove in runs for San Francisco, which salvaged the finale of the
series to win for just the second time in 10 tries. The Giants are 2-5 on a
10-game homestand and have held the top spot in the NL West for the past 44
days.

Ryan Vogelsong will try to stretch San Francisco’s stay in first place when
he takes the mound Monday night. The All-Star right-hander hasn’t lost since
May 26 versus Florida and is 9-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 20 games (18 starts) this
season. He has won his last six decisions and defeated Arizona in last
Wednesday’s 8-1 drubbing by the Bay. He allowed one run and five hits over six
innings and struck out seven batters.

Vogelsong, who played with the Pirates in parts of 2001-2006, beat Pittsburgh
in a 5-2 victory on April 28 from the Steel City, as he delivered 5 2/3
innings of two-run ball and eight K’s. He is 6-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 11 games
(10 starts) at home this season.

San Francisco won two of three meetings in Pittsburgh from April 26-28 and is
10-5 in this series since the beginning of the 2009 campaign.

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Latos’ mastery continued the misery for the Pirates, who completed an 0-7 stay at PNC Park against the last-place Padres and Chicago Cubs, two teams that were a combined 39 games under .500 when the week began.

Pittsburgh was winless on a homestand of at least seven games for the first time in franchise history, STATS LLC said. No team in the majors has had a homestand that long without a win since Kansas City in May 2006.

“It’s obviously not easy right now,” second baseman Neil Walker said. “As baseball players, we’ve all gone through some sort of stretch like this, whether it was from a personal or a team standpoint. Nobody likes the feeling that we have right now.

“It’s easy to let yourself go to a negative place when you’re like this, but … we’re still playing the same game we did when we were winning games. It’s just been a little tougher for us.”

Try a lot tougher. The Pirates, leading the division July 26, were outscored 59-25 by the Cubs and Padres. The bad week came after they got swept in Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh will try again to break its skid Monday night at San Francisco against the World Series champion Giants.

A day after the Pirates held a players-only meeting following a 13-2 loss, they trailed 7-0 going into the bottom of the eighth.

The Padres got a run on a wild pitch by Daniel McCutchen and another that was set up by catcher Ryan Doumit’s throwing error on a pitchout, two plays that exemplified Pittsburgh’s recent futility.

Latos (6-11) allowed only two singles until Doumit and Pedro Alvarez singled to open the eighth. Brandon Wood followed with a home run off Chad Qualls.

Will Venable had three hits and drove in two runs and Logan Forsythe had three RBIs as the Padres completed their third sweep of the season. San Diego has won four in a row.

Playing without top hitter Chase Headley, who sustained a broken left little finger Saturday, the Padres continued their offensive renaissance at the hands of the beleaguered Pirates.

“We got off to a good start there, and some of their guys didn’t have their best stuff,” Venable said. “We consistently, throughout the lineup, put good swings on those mistakes, and we were able to push some runs across.”

San Diego came into the series last in the National League in average, runs, home runs and extra-base hits. The Padres left it having scored 35 runs in three games, tied for the second-most in any three-game stretch in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

San Diego has never scored more runs in a three-game series.

“Offensively, the three games speak for themselves,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “The collection of at bats from top to bottom were outstanding.”

This is the Pirates’ longest losing streak since a 12-game slide June 6-18, 2010, a season in which they lost 105 games.

The crowd of 35,601 meant a total of 112,618 saw the series, the fourth-largest in PNC Park history. While fans on Friday and Saturday often resorting to booing, Sunday’s scene never got ugly. Pirates fans were even given a reason to cheer when Wood’s homer, his seventh, cut San Diego’s lead to 7-3.

Pittsburgh’s Xavier Paul then singled with one out, but Qualls got the Pirates’ two best hitters, Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker, to ground out harmlessly to end the inning.

“We like playing here,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We just didn’t do well this week.

“I never thought we’d throw up a doughnut at home.”

Forsythe, in the lineup to replace Headley at third base, had an RBI groundout in the second against Kevin Correia (12-10) and a two-run single in the sixth. Venable added a two-run double in the eighth.

Signed in the offseason as a free agent from San Diego, Correia had allowed one run on three hits through 5 2/3 innings before running into two-out trouble in the sixth. He was charged with four runs on five hits and four walks, falling to 2-8 at home this season.

“I threw the ball pretty well up until there were two outs and nobody on in the sixth,” Correia said. “It’s just hard, in the situation we’re in and the results of the games, to feel good about anything.”

Note

Headley was to be evaluated over the next few days before a decision was to be made about a possible trip to the disabled list. … The Padres improved to 25-17 in day games (they’re 26-47 at night) and have won six consecutive series finales. … On Monday in San Francisco, the Pirates face RHP Ryan Vogelsong, who pitched for them from 2001-06 and was out of the majors until this season, when he is emerging as a possible Cy Young candidate. … Padres RHP Tim Stauffer is making his first career start in New York Monday.