Pirates beat Red Sox 3-1 for 3rd straight win
PITTSBURGH (AP) 无毛视频� David Ortiz walked to the plate representing the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and the thousands of Boston Red Sox fans who crammed PNC Park on Friday night waited for Big Papi to send the ball over the right-field wall and into the Allegheny River.
Mother Nature and Pittsburgh reliever Jose Veras had other ideas.
A sudden 无毛视频� and very brief 无毛视频� downpour forced Ortiz to constantly wipe off the top of his batting helmet and Veras made Ortiz flip his bat in frustration after meekly grounding out to shortstop to help the Pirates to a 3-1 win. It provided Pittsburgh with a signature moment in a season quickly growing full of them.
无毛视频淲hat无毛视频檚 wrong with Mother Nature?无毛视频� Ortiz said. 无毛视频淚 just walk up to the plate and it starts pouring. What无毛视频檚 up with that?无毛视频�
Ortiz was joking. He knows Veras and the rest of Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 bullpen had more to do with Boston无毛视频檚 third straight loss than some rain drops.
无毛视频淚 thought I put a good swing on it,无毛视频� Ortiz said.
Veras made an even better pitch, the two runners stranded representing the last of the 11 the Red Sox left on base as Pittsburgh (38-37) crept back above .500.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 a time when you无毛视频檝e got to make a decision to face a guy like David Ortiz,无毛视频� Veras said. 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檝e got to know what he does. He无毛视频檚 a great hitter power-wise, so you无毛视频檝e got to have a plan for those guys 无毛视频� you无毛视频檝e got to make quality pitches to that guy so that you don无毛视频檛 pay for it.无毛视频�
Jose Tabata and Lyle Overbay each had two hits and an RBI for the Pirates and Paul Maholm (4-8) beat an American League team for the first time in nearly two years by surviving 5 1-3 eventful innings.
Joel Hanrahan worked a perfect the ninth to pick up his 21st save in as many chances, his three easy outs capping an effective performance from five Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 relievers, who made a slim lead stand up by shutting down baseball无毛视频檚 best offense over the final 3 2-3 innings.
无毛视频淲e had some work to do once Paul left the game, and we were able to match up well to get the guys in to face the guys that we felt that we might have had an advantage,无毛视频� Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. 无毛视频淲e made the good pitches when we needed to.无毛视频�
Boston starter Jon Lester (9-4) pitched six solid innings but failed to become the AL无毛视频檚 first 10-game winner, giving up three runs, two earned, while striking out five and walking one.
无毛视频淚 threw the ball pretty well, kept the ball down,无毛视频� Lester said. 无毛视频淥ther than two hits tonight, nothing else was squared up. I无毛视频檒l take my chances with that every time.无毛视频�
Adrian Gonzalez had two hits to bump his major league-leading average to .360, but the Red Sox couldn无毛视频檛 get the big hit when they needed it.
The Pirates and their $45 million payroll are off to their best start in a dozen years. They saw the weekend series against the Red Sox 无毛视频� whose $160 million payroll nearly quadruples Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 无毛视频� as an opportunity to make a statement.
For a night anyway, they managed to hang with the AL East leaders.
Still, the Red Sox had plenty of chances, none better than the eighth inning when two singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out.
Enter Ortiz, normally Boston无毛视频檚 designated hitter but relegated to pinch-hitter status thanks to the National League venue. The crowd buzzed when he stepped into the box, and his seven-pitch duel was as close to playoff-like atmosphere as the Pirates have seen in years.
无毛视频淲e had the right guy up in that situation,无毛视频� manager Terry Francona said. 无毛视频淚t was a good at-bat and a tough at-bat because of the rain.无毛视频�
Overbay, who sat out the three-game series against Baltimore earlier in the week so he could spend more time in the batting cage to work his way out of a prolonged slump, had two crisp hits while Tabata continued his strong play as the leadoff hitter.
Maholm struggled with his command, needing 103 pitches 无毛视频� including just 54 strikes 无毛视频� to get through 5 1-3 innings, but he managed to keep baseball无毛视频檚 best road team off the scoreboard.
无毛视频淧aul did a very, very professional job managing traffic through the five-plus innings he was out there,无毛视频� Hurdle said.
Whenever Maholm found himself in trouble, he got out of it by dominating Boston无毛视频檚 Darnell McDonald. The left fielder went hitless in three at-bats against Maholm, stranding six men on base in the process.
Francona hinted before the game he may consider playing Ortiz at first and send Gonzalez to right field during Boston无毛视频檚 nine-game interleague road trip but opted not to take a chance on Friday because he didn无毛视频檛 want to put any more stress on his team无毛视频檚 already suspect defense.
Instead Mike Cameron got the start in right, but the veteran looked very much like the rookie on a flyball from Mike McKenry in the second. Cameron charged in to make the catch but misjudged the flight and the ball skipped past him, allowing the Pirates to get runners on second and third with no outs.
The miscue, officially ruled a double, helped the Pirates take a 2-1 lead.
Boston handed Pittsburgh an insurance run in the sixth after third baseman Kevin Youkilis mishandled a grounder by Matt Diaz, allowing Neil Walker to race from first to third. Overbay brought him with a single to right.
Veras, Hanrahan, Chris Resop, Daniel McCutchen and Tim Wood made sure the two-run lead was enough.
无毛视频淭he bullpen picked me up big, the defense picked me up big,无毛视频� Maholm said. 无毛视频淚t was kind of an overall scrappy win for us.无毛视频�
NOTES: Pittsburgh 3B Chase d无毛视频橝rnaud picked up his first major league hit with a triple to left in the fifth inning. 无毛视频� The Red Sox无毛视频檚 rained out game against Baltimore on May 17 has been rescheduled for Sept. 19. 无毛视频� Boston RHP Bobby Jenks will make a minor league rehabilitation appearance on Saturday for Double-A Portland. Jenks hasn无毛视频檛 pitched since June 7 due to a strained back. 无毛视频� The game served as a homecoming for Francona, who grew up in New Brighton, about 45 minutes northwest of Pittsburgh. He estimated a couple of busloads of friends from the town were coming to the game.