GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: PITTSBURGH (46-66) at SAN FRANCISCO (49-65)

NL: PITTSBURGH at SAN FRANCISCO

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PITTSBURGH (13) AT SAN FRANCISCO (3) - EVENT LOG
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Pittsburgh Starting Lineups -- N McLouth CF, J Bautista RF, F Sanchez 2B,
A LaRoche 1B, J Bay LF, R Doumit C, J Castillo 3B, J Wilson SS, T Armas RHP.

San Francisco Starting Lineups -- R Davis CF, O Vizquel SS, R Winn RF, R Durham 2B,
R Klesko 1B, P Feliz 3B, D Ortmeier LF, G Rodriguez C, T Lincecum RHP.

Umpires -- James Hoye (HP), Travis Reininger (1B), Tom Hallion (2B),
Jerry Crawford (3B).

Gametime Weather: 67 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind out to center at 18 mph.


PITTSBURGH 1ST: N McLouth struck out swinging. J Bautista struck out
looking. F Sanchez struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 0, SAN FRANCISCO 0.

SAN FRANCISCO 1ST: R Davis singled to left. O Vizquel fouled out to first.
R Davis caught stealing second, catcher to shortstop. R Winn reached on
infield single to second. R Durham struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0, SAN FRANCISCO 0.

PITTSBURGH 2ND: A LaRoche grounded out to first. J Bay struck out
swinging. R Doumit flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 0, SAN FRANCISCO 0.

SAN FRANCISCO 2ND: R Klesko grounded out to second. P Feliz lined out
to center. D Ortmeier struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 0, SAN FRANCISCO 0.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: J Castillo grounded out to third. J Wilson singled to
right. T Armas struck out swinging. J Wilson stole second. N McLouth struck
out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0, SAN FRANCISCO 0.

SAN FRANCISCO 3RD: G Rodriguez flied out to center. T Lincecum grounded
out to second. R Davis hit by pitch. O Vizquel fouled out to catcher.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0, SAN FRANCISCO 0.

PITTSBURGH 4TH: J Bautista singled to left. F Sanchez homered to left,
J Bautista scored. A LaRoche homered to right. J Bay struck out swinging.
R Doumit tripled to deep center. J Castillo grounded out to shortstop,
R Doumit scored. J Wilson walked. T Armas doubled to deep right, J Wilson
scored. N McLouth grounded out to second. (5 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 5, SAN FRANCISCO 0.

SAN FRANCISCO 4TH: R Winn homered to right. R Durham flied out to left.
R Klesko flied out to center. P Feliz grounded out to third. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 5, SAN FRANCISCO 1.

PITTSBURGH 5TH: J Bautista struck out swinging. F Sanchez singled to
center. A LaRoche grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first,
F Sanchez out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 5, SAN FRANCISCO 1.

SAN FRANCISCO 5TH: D Ortmeier flied out to center. G Rodriguez grounded
out to third. T Lincecum grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 5, SAN FRANCISCO 1.

PITTSBURGH 6TH: J Bay singled to left center. R Doumit singled to right,
J Bay to third. J Castillo grounded into double play, shortstop to second to
first, J Bay scored, R Doumit out at second. J Wilson grounded out to third.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 6, SAN FRANCISCO 1.

SAN FRANCISCO 6TH: R Davis flied out to left. O Vizquel popped out to
second. R Winn popped out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 6,
SAN FRANCISCO 1.

PITTSBURGH 7TH: K Correia relieved T Lincecum. T Armas grounded out to
third. N McLouth struck out looking. J Bautista hit a ground rule double to
deep center. F Sanchez singled to left, J Bautista scored, F Sanchez to second
advancing on throw. A LaRoche flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 7, SAN FRANCISCO 1.

SAN FRANCISCO 7TH: R Durham doubled to deep right center. R Klesko singled
to center, R Durham scored. P Feliz singled to left, R Klesko to second.
R Klesko to third, P Feliz to second on passed ball by R Doumit. D Ortmeier
walked. S Chacon relieved T Armas. G Rodriguez popped out to first. D Roberts
hit for K Correia. D Roberts walked, R Klesko scored, P Feliz to third,
D Ortmeier to second. N Lowry ran for D Roberts. R Davis flied out to right.
O Vizquel flied out to right. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 7,
SAN FRANCISCO 3.

PITTSBURGH 8TH: B Wilson relieved K Correia. J Bay popped out to third.
R Doumit grounded out to shortstop. J Castillo doubled to right. J Wilson
struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 7, SAN FRANCISCO 3.

SAN FRANCISCO 8TH: D Marte relieved S Chacon. R Winn struck out swinging.
R Durham flied out to center. R Klesko doubled to left. S Torres relieved
D Marte. P Feliz flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 7,
SAN FRANCISCO 3.

PITTSBURGH 9TH: S Kline relieved B Wilson. J Phelps hit for S Torres.
J Phelps walked. N McLouth singled to left center, J Phelps to second.
J Bautista walked, J Phelps to third, N McLouth to second. F Sanchez doubled
to right, J Phelps and N McLouth scored, J Bautista to third. A LaRoche
singled to left, J Bautista and F Sanchez scored. J Bay lined out to left.
R Doumit safe at first on error by third baseman P Feliz, A LaRoche to third.
J Castillo singled to right, A LaRoche scored, R Doumit to second. R Messenger
relieved S Kline. J Wilson singled to right center, R Doumit to third,
J Castillo to second. J Phelps hit sacrifice fly to right, R Doumit scored,
J Castillo to third. N McLouth struck out looking. (6 Runs, 5 Hits, 1 Error)
PITTSBURGH 13, SAN FRANCISCO 3.

SAN FRANCISCO 9TH: F Osoria relieved S Torres. J Phelps at first base.
D Ortmeier flied out to left. G Rodriguez singled to center. K Frandsen hit
for R Messenger. K Frandsen grounded into double play, third to second to
first, G Rodriguez out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 13,
SAN FRANCISCO 3.</div>

 

Sanchez, LaRoche power Pirates over Giants

<h3>PITTSBURGH 13, SAN FRANCISCO 3</h3>By Ryan Leong
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) - Even without Barry Bonds in the lineupSaturday, there was a splash in McCovey Cove. But it was byAdam LaRoche of the Pittsburgh Pirates.


Freddy Sanchez and LaRoche hit back-to-back home runs in afive-run fourth inning as the Pirates knocked off the SanFrancisco Giants, 13-3, on Saturday afternoon.


Finishing 4-for-5 with five RBI, Sanchez now has knocked inseven runs in the first two games of the series.


"I can't say enough about where Freddy Sanchez is, four hits,five RBIs, that's a huge offensive day," Pirates manager JimTracy said. "There's nothing you wouldn't take at what he'sdoing at second base."


"It's a tough ballpark to play in," Sanchez said. "I wastalking to (Ryan) Klesko on their team and a lot of righthandedhitters will hit a ball to right field and the ball won't goanywhere, but it's a big park and it kind of plays a littlesimilar (to Pittsburgh's PNC Park) because you hit it in thosegaps and you can keep running."


LaRoche also homered in Friday night's win as the Pirates wonconsecutive games for only the second time since the All-Starbreak.


"We're getting back on the type of play we were on before the(All-Star) break, playing some good fundamental baseball,getting the big hits and that's what we need," LaRoche said.

Giants rookie Tim Lincecum was lights-out the first time throughthe Pirates' order but got hit hard in the fourth whenPittsburgh sent nine men to bat.


"He's got unbelievable stuff. He throws hard, he's got a greatcurveball and he even threw me a great changeup," Sanchez said."The key for us was obviously you can't try to do too much witha pitcher like that. I just went up looking to make contact.That's all we want to do is go up there and try make contact andfortunately for us we were able to find some holes."

Lincecum (6-3) lasted six innings, was charged with six earnedruns on nine hits and lost for the first time since June 19,snapping a four-game winning streak.


"They strung together some good hits and some good at-bats.That's kind of the way the game goes, you just have to learn toaccept it and move on," Lincecum said. "That's what I'm tryingto be like right now."


"It's hard to explain," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Hewas cruising there, then he made a couple of mistakes. Asalways, it's usually location. It looks like he got a littlewild there in the strike zone."


Tony Armas (2-3) pitched six innings for his second straightwin, allowing a solo home run to Randy Winn and an RBI single byRyan Klesko.


"I just want to give my team a chance to win and thank Godeverything's going the right way," Armas said. "When you canpound the (strike) zone it makes it easier."


"Our starting pitcher Tony was very steady today," Tracy said."He kept things at bay and then in the fourth we took some verygood at-bats."


Pirates reliever Shawn Chacon inherited a bases-loaded situationin the seventh and walked in a run but the Giants scored onlytwo runs, even though they sent eight men to the plate, cuttingthe deficit to 7-3.


"We have some good hurlers here and people don't realize thatbut sometimes things don't go your way and you have to keep onfighting," Armas said of the Pirates' bullpen.


The Giants got no closer as the Pirates pushed across six runsin the ninth, highlighted by Sanchez's two-run double andLaRoche's two-RBI base hit.


Ryan Doumit had two hits and is 5-for-9 through the first twogames of the series. LaRoche also had two hits and is 4-for-9with five RBI in the series.


"It's kind of a weird feeling but if you can get that wind outof your head, because it's blowing in on you but up high it'sblowing out," LaRoche said. "If you can away from that and thelittle chill in the air, it's a pretty good place to hit."

Although the Giants have lost three straight and fell aseason-high 17 games below .500, they sold out for the 18thconsecutive time dating to June 30.