GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: ARIZONA (88-70) at PITTSBURGH (68-90)

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA (8) VS PITTSBURGH (0) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS

ARIZONA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Young cf 5 0 0 0 0 1 5 .236
S Drew ss 5 2 3 3 0 1 2 .236
E Byrnes lf 5 0 1 1 0 1 3 .288
T Clark 1b 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 .253
M Reynolds 3b 4 1 1 0 1 2 0 .279
J Salazar rf 4 0 0 0 1 2 1 .278
C Snyder c 4 0 0 0 1 1 3 .255
A Ojeda 2b 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 .284
M Owings p 4 1 4 3 0 0 0 .339
T Pena p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
D Nippert p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 39 8 12 8 5 9 18

BATTING: 2B - M Owings 3 (7, T Armas, J Van Benschoten, R Sanchez). HR - S Drew
(12, 1st inning off J Van Benschoten 0 on, 1 Out), T Clark (17, 5th inning off
T Armas 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - S Drew 3 (59), M Owings 3 (15), E Byrnes (83), T
Clark (51). 2-out RBI - M Owings 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T
Clark 1, E Byrnes 1, C Snyder 2, C Young 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: Picked Off - E Byrnes (1st base, J Van Benschoten).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Salazar (N Morgan at 2nd base). DP: 2 (S
Drew-A Ojeda-T Clark 2).


PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N Morgan cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .290
J Wilson ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .295
A LaRoche 1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .275
J Perez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
X Nady lf 3 0 1 0 0 1 2 .283
J Bautista 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .258
S Pearce rf 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .298
J Castillo 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .240
R Sanchez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Phelps 1b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .355
C Maldonado c 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .150
J Van Benschoten p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143
T Armas p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .115
M Kata 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247

Totals 27 0 6 0 0 5 8

BATTING: 2B - A LaRoche (41, M Owings). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out
- J Bautista 1. GIDP - J Castillo, C Maldonado. Team LOB - 3.

FIELDING: E - J Wilson (11, ground ball).


----------------------------------------------------
ARIZONA - 130 011 200 -- 8
PITTSBURGH - 000 000 00 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA ip h r er bb so hr era
M Owings 6 1/3 4 0 0 0 4 0 4.30
T Pena 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.31
D Nippert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.32

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
J Van Benschoten 2 6 4 4 2 1 1 10.15
T Armas 3 2 1 1 0 5 1 6.09
R Sanchez 2 4 3 3 2 2 0 5.40
J Perez 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.00

Pitches-strikes: M Owings 83-58; T Pena 9-7; D Nippert 12-8; J Van Benschoten
50-31; T Armas 60-40; R Sanchez 45-24; J Perez 23-14. Ground balls-fly balls: M
Owings 6-8; T Pena 0-1; D Nippert 2-1; J Van Benschoten 0-4; T Armas 2-2; R
Sanchez 3-1; J Perez 2-3. Batters faced: M Owings 21; T Pena 3; D Nippert 3; J
Van Benschoten 13; T Armas 12; R Sanchez 12; J Perez 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Greg Gibson. 1B--Larry Vanover. 2B--Dana Demuth. 3B--Tony
Randazzo.

(Plus rain delay totaling 17 minutes in the 7th). Weather: 71 degrees,
drizzle. Wind: 0 mph, out to left.</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: C Quentin in right field.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 8
PITTSBURGH 0 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N Morgan (.290, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Salazar in left field.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 8
PITTSBURGH 0 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N Morgan (.290, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - PITCHING CHANGE
ARI: YUSMEIRO PETIT (3-4, 5.12) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N MORGAN (.290, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: Y Petit relieved D Nippert.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 8
PITTSBURGH 0 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N Morgan (.290, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Bay hit for J Perez.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, J WILSON ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 8
PITTSBURGH 0 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J Bay (.248, 21 HR, 84 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
ARIZONA 1 3 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 8 12 0
PITTSBURGH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: ARI - MICAH OWINGS, TONY PENA (7TH), DUSTIN NIPPERT (8TH), YUSMEIRO
PETIT (9TH) AND CHRIS SNYDER

PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN, TONY ARMAS (3RD), ROMULO
SANCHEZ (6TH), JUAN PEREZ (8TH) AND CARLOS MALDONADO

HOME RUNS: ARI - STEPHEN DREW (12) OFF JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN IN THE 1ST, 0 ON
TONY CLARK (17) OFF TONY ARMAS IN THE 5TH, 0 ON

PIT - NONE</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
ARIZONA 1 3 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 8 12 0
PITTSBURGH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: ARI - MICAH OWINGS, TONY PENA (7TH), DUSTIN NIPPERT (8TH), YUSMEIRO
PETIT (9TH) AND CHRIS SNYDER

PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN, TONY ARMAS (3RD), ROMULO
SANCHEZ (6TH), JUAN PEREZ (8TH) AND CARLOS MALDONADO


WP - MICAH OWINGS (8-8)
LP - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN (0-7)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: ARI - STEPHEN DREW (12) OFF JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN IN THE 1ST, 0 ON
TONY CLARK (17) OFF TONY ARMAS IN THE 5TH, 0 ON

PIT - NONE


TIME: 2:37 ATT: 11,335

PROBABLES: STL - TODD WELLEMEYER (3-2, 3.28)
PIT - ZACH DUKE (3-8, 5.83)

PROBABLES: ARI - BRANDON WEBB (17-10, 3.02)
COL - JEFF FRANCIS (17-8, 4.17)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA (8) VS PITTSBURGH (0) - FINAL

ARIZONA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Young cf 5 0 0 0 0 1 5 .236
S Drew ss 5 2 3 3 0 1 2 .236
E Byrnes lf 5 0 1 1 0 1 3 .288
C Quentin rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211
T Clark 1b 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 .253
M Reynolds 3b 4 1 1 0 1 2 0 .279
J Salazar rf-lf 4 0 0 0 1 2 1 .278
C Snyder c 4 0 0 0 1 1 3 .255
A Ojeda 2b 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 .284
M Owings p 4 1 4 3 0 0 0 .339
T Pena p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
D Nippert p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Y Petit p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .071

Totals 39 8 12 8 5 9 18

BATTING: 2B - M Owings 3 (7, T Armas, J Van Benschoten, R Sanchez). HR - S Drew
(12, 1st inning off J Van Benschoten 0 on, 1 Out), T Clark (17, 5th inning off
T Armas 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - S Drew 3 (59), M Owings 3 (15), E Byrnes (83), T
Clark (51). 2-out RBI - M Owings 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T
Clark 1, E Byrnes 1, C Snyder 2, C Young 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: Picked Off - E Byrnes (1st base, J Van Benschoten).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Salazar (N Morgan at 2nd base), C Quentin (N
Morgan at Home). PB - C Snyder. DP: 2 (S Drew-A Ojeda-T Clark 2).


PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N Morgan cf 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 .298
J Wilson ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .297
A LaRoche 1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .275
J Perez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-J Bay ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .248
X Nady lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 .282
J Bautista 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .258
S Pearce rf 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .298
J Castillo 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .240
R Sanchez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Phelps 1b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .355
C Maldonado c 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .150
J Van Benschoten p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143
T Armas p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .115
M Kata 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247

Totals 31 0 8 0 0 5 11

a-flied out to right for J Perez in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - A LaRoche (41, M Owings); J Wilson (29, Y Petit). Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - X Nady 1, J Bautista 1. GIDP - J Castillo, C
Maldonado. Team LOB - 4.

FIELDING: E - J Wilson (11, ground ball).


----------------------------------------------------
ARIZONA - 130 011 200 -- 8
PITTSBURGH - 000 000 000 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA ip h r er bb so hr era
M Owings (W, 8-8) 6 1/3 4 0 0 0 4 0 4.30
T Pena 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.31
D Nippert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.32
Y Petit 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5.02

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
J Van Benschoten (L, 0-7) 2 6 4 4 2 1 1 10.15
T Armas 3 2 1 1 0 5 1 6.09
R Sanchez 2 4 3 3 2 2 0 5.40
J Perez 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.00

Pitches-strikes: M Owings 83-58; T Pena 9-7; D Nippert 12-8; Y Petit 16-12; J
Van Benschoten 50-31; T Armas 60-40; R Sanchez 45-24; J Perez 23-14. Ground
balls-fly balls: M Owings 6-8; T Pena 0-1; D Nippert 2-1; Y Petit 0-2; J Van
Benschoten 0-4; T Armas 2-2; R Sanchez 3-1; J Perez 2-3. Batters faced: M
Owings 21; T Pena 3; D Nippert 3; Y Petit 4; J Van Benschoten 13; T Armas 12; R
Sanchez 12; J Perez 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Greg Gibson. 1B--Larry Vanover. 2B--Dana Demuth. 3B--Tony
Randazzo.

T--2:37. (Plus rain delay totaling 17 minutes in the 7th). Att--11,335.

Weather: 71 degrees, drizzle. Wind: 0 mph, out to left.</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
ARIZONA 8
PITTSBURGH 0 FINAL</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARIZONA (8) AT PITTSBURGH (0) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ARIZONA 1ST: C Young fouled out to catcher. S Drew homered to right.
E Byrnes popped out to shortstop. T Clark walked. M Reynolds singled to right,
T Clark to second. J Salazar walked, T Clark to third, M Reynolds to second.
C Snyder flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 1, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 2ND: A Ojeda reached on infield single to second. M Owings doubled
to left, A Ojeda scored. C Young lined out to left. S Drew singled to center,
M Owings scored, S Drew to second advancing on throw. E Byrnes singled to left
center, S Drew scored. E Byrnes picked off first. T Clark struck out looking.
(3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 4, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 5TH: T Clark homered to center. M Reynolds struck out swinging.
J Salazar struck out swinging. C Snyder struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) ARIZONA 5, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 6TH: R Sanchez relieved T Armas. M Kata at second base. A Ojeda
walked. M Owings singled to left, A Ojeda to third. C Young struck out
swinging. S Drew singled to right, A Ojeda scored, M Owings to second.
E Byrnes grounded into fielder's choice to second, S Drew out at second,
M Owings to third. T Clark grounded out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
ARIZONA 6, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 7TH: M Reynolds walked. J Salazar struck out swinging. C Snyder
grounded out to shortstop, M Reynolds to second. A Ojeda reached on infield
single to second, M Reynolds to third. M Owings doubled to deep center,
M Reynolds and A Ojeda scored. C Young lined out to third. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0.</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARIZONA (8) AT PITTSBURGH (0) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arizona Starting Lineups -- C Young CF, S Drew SS, E Byrnes LF, T Clark 1B,
M Reynolds 3B, J Salazar RF, C Snyder C, A Ojeda 2B, M Owings RHP.

Pittsburgh Starting Lineups -- N Morgan CF, J Wilson SS, A LaRoche 1B, X Nady LF,
J Bautista 3B, S Pearce RF, J Castillo 2B, C Maldonado C, J Van Benschoten RHP.

Umpires -- Greg Gibson (HP), Larry Vanover (1B), Dana Demuth (2B),
Tony Randazzo (3B).

Gametime Weather: 71 degrees, Drizzle, wind out to left at 0 mph.


ARIZONA 1ST: C Young fouled out to catcher. S Drew homered to right.
E Byrnes popped out to shortstop. T Clark walked. M Reynolds singled to right,
T Clark to second. J Salazar walked, T Clark to third, M Reynolds to second.
C Snyder flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 1, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 1ST: N Morgan grounded out to first. J Wilson reached on
infield single to pitcher. A LaRoche flied out to right. X Nady struck out
swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 1, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 2ND: A Ojeda reached on infield single to second. M Owings doubled
to left, A Ojeda scored. C Young lined out to left. S Drew singled to center,
M Owings scored, S Drew to second advancing on throw. E Byrnes singled to left
center, S Drew scored. E Byrnes picked off first. T Clark struck out looking.
(3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 4, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 2ND: J Bautista flied out to right. S Pearce flied out to
right. J Castillo grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
ARIZONA 4, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 3RD: T Armas relieved J Van Benschoten. M Reynolds struck out
swinging. J Salazar lined out to first. C Snyder grounded out to first.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 4, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: C Maldonado struck out looking. T Armas struck out
swinging. N Morgan singled to right, N Morgan out stretching at second.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 4, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 4TH: A Ojeda grounded out to shortstop. M Owings doubled to left.
C Young safe at first on error by shortstop J Wilson. S Drew popped out to
shortstop. E Byrnes struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) ARIZONA 4,
PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 4TH: J Wilson fouled out to shortstop. A LaRoche doubled to
deep right. X Nady flied out to left. J Bautista flied out to right. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 4, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 5TH: T Clark homered to center. M Reynolds struck out swinging.
J Salazar struck out swinging. C Snyder struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) ARIZONA 5, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 5TH: S Pearce singled to center. J Castillo grounded into
double play, shortstop to second to first, S Pearce out at second. C Maldonado
popped out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 5, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 6TH: R Sanchez relieved T Armas. M Kata at second base. A Ojeda
walked. M Owings singled to left, A Ojeda to third. C Young struck out
swinging. S Drew singled to right, A Ojeda scored, M Owings to second.
E Byrnes grounded into fielder's choice to second, S Drew out at second,
M Owings to third. T Clark grounded out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
ARIZONA 6, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 6TH: M Kata grounded out to second. N Morgan flied out to
right. J Wilson grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 6,
PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 7TH: M Reynolds walked. J Salazar struck out swinging. C Snyder
grounded out to shortstop, M Reynolds to second. A Ojeda reached on infield
single to second, M Reynolds to third. M Owings doubled to deep center,
M Reynolds and A Ojeda scored. C Young lined out to third. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 7TH: A LaRoche struck out swinging. T Pena relieved M Owings.
X Nady singled to right. J Bautista flied out to right. S Pearce struck out
swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 8TH: J Perez relieved R Sanchez. J Phelps at first base. S Drew
struck out swinging. E Byrnes flied out to center. T Clark grounded out to
shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 8TH: D Nippert relieved T Pena. J Phelps singled to center.
C Maldonado grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, J Phelps
out at second. M Kata lined out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 8,
PITTSBURGH 0.

ARIZONA 9TH: M Reynolds grounded out to pitcher. J Salazar flied out to
right. C Snyder walked. A Ojeda flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 9TH: C Quentin in right field. J Salazar in left field. Y Petit
relieved D Nippert. N Morgan singled to right center. J Wilson doubled to deep
right center, N Morgan out at home. J Bay hit for J Perez. J Wilson to third
on passed ball by C Snyder. J Bay flied out to right. X Nady flied out to
center. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0.</div>

 

Surprise starter Owings shuts down Pirates

<h3>ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0</h3>By Chris Adamski
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


PITTSBURGH (Ticker) - Surprise starter Micah Owings pitched 61/3 innings of shutout ball to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks toan 8-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon.

Owings was not told he was going to replace scheduled starterBrandon Webb until less than three hours before the start of thegame.


Stephen Drew went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored andthree RBIs and Tony Clark homered for the Diamondbacks, whosnapped a three-game losing streak and significantlystrengthened their playoff hopes with three games remaining inthe season.


Arizona (89-70) holds a 1 1/2-game lead over the San DiegoPadres (87-71) in the NL West and is 2 1/2 games up on thethird-place Colorado Rockies (86-72) and the PhiladelphiaPhillies (86-72), against which the Diamondbacks could bebattling for a wild card spot. Each of those teams play gamesThursday night.


After the game, the Diamondbacks fly to Denver for a three-gameseries against the Rockies that opens Friday night.

It's hard to tell whether Owings (8-8) was better on the moundor at the plate. He allowed four hits and struck out four whilepitching into the seventh - he was only removed from the gamedue to an 18-minute rain delay - and also went 4-for-4 with arun and three RBIs to raise his batting average to .339.

The entire game was played under the specter of rain - itdrizzled through much of the pregame warmups and during portionsof the contest after Wednesday night's game was delayed 59minutes. Therefore. the Diamondbacks elected not to start theirace, Webb, as planned. Webb will instead pitch in Colorado onFriday, the day Owings was originally scheduled to start.

It was the second consecutive spectacular start for Owings, whotossed a complete-game shutout against San Francisco onSeptember 18. That ended a stretch in which Owings had won onlyone of his previous 15 starts. Owings has a 15 1/3-inningscoreless streak.


Drew, the second batter of the game, crushed a 2-1 pitch fromPirates starter John Van Benschoten deep to right for his 12thhome run of the season.


Arizona added three more runs in the second on an RBI double byOwings and RBI singles by Drew and Eric Byrnes, ending a quickafternoon for Van Benschoten. He allowed four runs on six hitsand two walks with one strikeout in two innings of work.

Van Benschoten, a first-round pick of the Pirates in 2001,completes his season 0-7 with a 10.15 ERA in 17 appearances (14starts).


Clark made it 5-0 when he led off the fifth with his 17th homerun, to the deepest part of the park in left-center off of TonyArmas. Drew picked up his third RBI when he singled in AugieOjeda in the sixth.


Owings drove in two more run with a double in the seventh tomake it 8-0.

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA (8) VS PITTSBURGH (0) - FINAL

ARIZONA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Young cf 5 0 0 0 0 1 5 .236
S Drew ss 5 2 3 3 0 1 2 .236
E Byrnes lf 5 0 1 1 0 1 3 .288
C Quentin rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211
T Clark 1b 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 .253
M Reynolds 3b 4 1 1 0 1 2 0 .279
J Salazar rf-lf 4 0 0 0 1 2 1 .278
C Snyder c 4 0 0 0 1 1 3 .255
A Ojeda 2b 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 .284
M Owings p 4 1 4 3 0 0 0 .339
T Pena p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
D Nippert p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Y Petit p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .071

Totals 39 8 12 8 5 9 18

BATTING: 2B - M Owings 3 (7, T Armas, J Van Benschoten, R Sanchez). HR - S Drew
(12, 1st inning off J Van Benschoten 0 on, 1 Out), T Clark (17, 5th inning off
T Armas 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - S Drew 3 (59), M Owings 3 (15), E Byrnes (83), T
Clark (51). 2-out RBI - M Owings 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T
Clark 1, E Byrnes 1, C Snyder 2, C Young 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: Picked Off - E Byrnes (1st base, J Van Benschoten).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Salazar (N Morgan at 2nd base), C Quentin (N
Morgan at Home). PB - C Snyder. DP: 2 (S Drew-A Ojeda-T Clark 2).


PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N Morgan cf 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 .298
J Wilson ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .297
A LaRoche 1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .275
J Perez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-J Bay ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .248
X Nady lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 .282
J Bautista 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .258
S Pearce rf 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .298
J Castillo 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .240
R Sanchez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Phelps 1b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .355
C Maldonado c 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .150
J Van Benschoten p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143
T Armas p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .115
M Kata 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247

Totals 31 0 8 0 0 5 11

a-flied out to right for J Perez in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - A LaRoche (41, M Owings); J Wilson (29, Y Petit). Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - X Nady 1, J Bautista 1. GIDP - J Castillo, C
Maldonado. Team LOB - 4.

FIELDING: E - J Wilson (11, ground ball).


----------------------------------------------------
ARIZONA - 130 011 200 -- 8
PITTSBURGH - 000 000 000 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA ip h r er bb so hr era
M Owings (W, 8-8) 6 1/3 4 0 0 0 4 0 4.30
T Pena 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.31
D Nippert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.32
Y Petit 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5.02

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
J Van Benschoten (L, 0-7) 2 6 4 4 2 1 1 10.15
T Armas 3 2 1 1 0 5 1 6.09
R Sanchez 2 4 3 3 2 2 0 5.40
J Perez 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.00

Pitches-strikes: M Owings 83-58; T Pena 9-7; D Nippert 12-8; Y Petit 16-12; J
Van Benschoten 50-31; T Armas 60-40; R Sanchez 45-24; J Perez 23-14. Ground
balls-fly balls: M Owings 6-8; T Pena 0-1; D Nippert 2-1; Y Petit 0-2; J Van
Benschoten 0-4; T Armas 2-2; R Sanchez 3-1; J Perez 2-3. Batters faced: M
Owings 21; T Pena 3; D Nippert 3; Y Petit 4; J Van Benschoten 13; T Armas 12; R
Sanchez 12; J Perez 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Greg Gibson. 1B--Larry Vanover. 2B--Dana Demuth. 3B--Tony
Randazzo.

T--2:37. (Plus rain delay totaling 18 minutes in the 7th). Att--11,335.

Weather: 71 degrees, drizzle. Wind: 0 mph, out to left.</div>

 

Surprise starter Owings shuts down Pirates

<h3>ARIZONA 8, PITTSBURGH 0</h3>By Chris Adamski
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


PITTSBURGH (Ticker) - Surprise starter Micah Owings pitched 61/3 innings of shutout ball to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks toan 8-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon.

Owings was not told he was going to replace scheduled starterBrandon Webb until less than three hours before the start of thegame.


Stephen Drew went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored andthree RBIs and Tony Clark homered for the Diamondbacks, whosnapped a three-game losing streak and significantlystrengthened their playoff hopes with three games remaining inthe season.


"Right now, the most important thing is just to win ballgames,"Owings said. "Anytime I'm given the opportunity to help us dothat, I'm going to jump at it. It just came a day earlier thanI expected this time."


Arizona (89-70) holds a 1 1/2-game lead over the San DiegoPadres (87-71) in the NL West and is 2 1/2 games up on thethird-place Colorado Rockies (86-72) and the PhiladelphiaPhillies (86-72), against which the Diamondbacks could bebattling for a wild card spot. Each of those teams play gamesThursday night.


After the game, the Diamondbacks fly to Denver for a three-gameseries against the Rockies that opens Friday night.

It's hard to tell whether Owings (8-8) was better on the moundor at the plate. He allowed four hits and struck out four whilepitching into the seventh - he was only removed from the gamedue to an 18-minute rain delay - and also went 4-for-4 with arun and three RBIs to raise his batting average to .339.

"He was a one-man wrecking crew," Diamondbacks manager BobMelvin said. "He pitched a great game on short notice and puttogether at-bats like we've seen him do all year. He's a very,very tough kid, and a guy that can handle something like that.

"He's a baseball player. If you were to go to him in Decemberand tell him he'd be in a big league game, he'd be fired upabout it. He just likes to play the game."


The entire game was played under the specter of rain - itdrizzled through much of the pregame warmups and during portionsof the contest after Wednesday night's game was delayed 59minutes. Therefore, the Diamondbacks elected not to start theirace, Webb, as planned. Webb will instead pitch in Colorado onFriday, the day Owings was originally scheduled to start.

"I didn't want to go out there, start, throw two innings andthen get rained out and be either done for the season or comeback on a short day," Webb said. "I'd rather come back tomorrowand throw a regular start. It worked out real well."

It was the second consecutive spectacular start for Owings, whotossed a complete-game shutout against San Francisco onSeptember 18. That ended a stretch in which Owings had won onlyone of his previous 15 starts. Owings has a 15 1/3-inningscoreless streak.


Drew, the second batter of the game, crushed a 2-1 pitch fromPirates starter John Van Benschoten deep to right for his 12thhome run of the season.


"When we got the board first, I think everybody kind of settleddown a little bit," Drew said. "Now it's, more or less, justkeep going out there playing everyday, and everything worked outwell today."


Arizona added three more runs in the second on an RBI double byOwings and RBI singles by Drew and Eric Byrnes, ending a quickafternoon for Van Benschoten. He allowed four runs on six hitsand two walks with one strikeout in two innings of work.

Van Benschoten, a first-round pick of the Pirates in 2001,completes his season 0-7 with a 10.15 ERA in 17 appearances (14starts).


"Obviously, not a very good day," Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracysaid. "We didn't pitch well at the beginning, and we didn'tplay well. The momentum that we didn't create for ourselves inthe early part of the game spilled over to their side."

Clark made it 5-0 when he led off the fifth with his 17th homerun, to the deepest part of the park in left-center off of TonyArmas. Drew picked up his third RBI when he singled in AugieOjeda in the sixth.


Owings drove in two more run with a double in the seventh tomake it 8-0.


"It's a relief that, one, obviously we win a game here," Melvinsaid. "Two, we got the game in. We didn't get burned trying tohold Webb back.


"Winning that game, confidence-wise, we feel a lot better goingin (to Denver)."