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

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

<h3>Pirates giving the Diamondbacks reason for concern</h3>



Arizona (88-70) at Pittsburgh (68-90) ,12:35 pm EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The pesky Pittsburgh Pirates are causing alot of problems for the Arizona Diamondbacks.


The Pirates will look for the sweep Thursday when they host theDiamondbacks in the finale of a three-game series.

Pittsburgh, which has already clinched its 15th consecutivelosing season, took the first two games of the series againstArizona, which entered the series with a three-game lead in theNational League West with less than a week remaining in theseason.


The Diamondbacks' division lead has diminished to just one gameover the San Diego Padres (87-71). The Colorado Rockies(86-72), who are on a 10-game winning streak, are also hangingaround, just two games back.


Righthander Brandon Webb (17-10, 3.02 ERA) will get the start,hoping to end Arizona's three-game skid. The 28-year-oldsinkerballer has won three straight decisions. The Diamondbackace gave up two runs and six hits with two walks and sixstrikeouts over 6 1/3 innings in a 6-2 victory over the LosAngeles Dodgers on Saturday.


The Pirates will hand the ball to Paul Maholm (10-15, 5.02), whowill look to make it to the fourth inning for the first timethis month. In two starts this September, the lefthander hasbeen tagged for 17 runs - 16 earned - and 21 hits with just fourstrikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.


Rookie Nyjer Morgan, who was called up on September 1, is on aseven-game hitting streak and has gone 12-for-27 with his firstcareer home run over that stretch. Morgan is batting .289 withsix RBI in his limited experience this year.

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA AT PITTSBURGH -- LINEUPS

ARIZONA PITTSBURGH
AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI
Chris Young CF .238 32 67 Nyjer Morgan CF .289 1 6
Stephen Drew SS .233 11 56 Jack Wilson SS .295 12 56
Eric Byrnes LF .288 21 82 Adam Laroche 1B .275 21 87
Tony Clark 1B .254 16 50 Xavier Nady RF .283 20 71
Mark Reynolds 3B .280 17 62 Jose Bautista 3B .259 15 62
Jeff Salazar RF .291 1 10 Nate Mclouth LF .256 13 37
Chris Snyder C .259 13 47 Jose Castillo 2B .242 0 23
Augie Ojeda 2B .276 1 10 Carlos Maldonado C .176 2 4
Brandon Webb RHP .086 0 3 John Van Benschote RHP .143 0 0
(17-10, 3.02) (0-6, 9.73)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA AT PITTSBURGH -- REVISED LINEUPS

ARIZONA PITTSBURGH
AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI
Chris Young CF .238 32 67 Nyjer Morgan CF .289 1 6
Stephen Drew SS .233 11 56 Jack Wilson SS .295 12 56
Eric Byrnes LF .288 21 82 Adam Laroche 1B .275 21 87
Tony Clark 1B .254 16 50 Xavier Nady RF .283 20 71
Mark Reynolds 3B .280 17 62 Jose Bautista 3B .259 15 62
Jeff Salazar RF .291 1 10 Nate Mclouth LF .256 13 37
Chris Snyder C .259 13 47 Jose Castillo 2B .242 0 23
Augie Ojeda 2B .276 1 10 Carlos Maldonado C .176 2 4
Micah Owings RHP .291 4 12 John Van Benschote RHP .143 0 0
(7-8, 4.49) (0-6, 9.73)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA AT PITTSBURGH -- REVISED LINEUPS

ARIZONA PITTSBURGH
AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI
Chris Young CF .238 32 67 Nyjer Morgan CF .289 1 6
Stephen Drew SS .233 11 56 Jack Wilson SS .295 12 56
Eric Byrnes LF .288 21 82 Adam Laroche 1B .275 21 87
Tony Clark 1B .254 16 50 Xavier Nady LF .283 20 71
Mark Reynolds 3B .280 17 62 Jose Bautista 3B .259 15 62
Jeff Salazar RF .291 1 10 Steven Pearce RF .296 0 5
Chris Snyder C .259 13 47 Jose Castillo 2B .242 0 23
Augie Ojeda 2B .276 1 10 Carlos Maldonado C .176 2 4
Micah Owings RHP .291 4 12 John Van Benschote RHP .143 0 0
(7-8, 4.49) (0-6, 9.73)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH
WARMUPS: ARI - MICAH OWINGS (7-8, 4.49)
PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTE (0-6, 9.73)

UMPIRES: HP - GREG GIBSON
1B - LARRY VANOVER
2B - DANA DEMUTH
3B - TONY RANDAZZO

WEATHER: 70 Degrees, drizzle
WIND: 0 mph, out to left</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH
STARTING BATS: ARI - MICAH OWINGS AND CHRIS SNYDER
PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN AND CARLOS MALDONADO

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: C YOUNG (.238, 32 HR, 67 RBI)
S DREW (.233, 11 HR, 56 RBI)
E BYRNES (.288, 21 HR, 82 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY STEPHEN DREW (12) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 1ST OFF JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN.
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 1, PITTSBURGH 0

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: E BYRNES (.288, 21 HR, 82 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: ARI - MICAH OWINGS
PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N MORGAN (.289, 1 HR, 6 RBI)
J WILSON (.295, 12 HR, 56 RBI)
A LAROCHE (.275, 21 HR, 87 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH
CONFIRMED STARTERS: ARI - MICAH OWINGS
PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTE</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: ARI - MICAH OWINGS
PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: A OJEDA (.276, 1 HR, 10 RBI)
M OWINGS (.291, 4 HR, 12 RBI)
C YOUNG (.237, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA (1) VS PITTSBURGH (0) - END 1ST - IN PROGRESS

ARIZONA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Young cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .237
S Drew ss 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .234
E Byrnes lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .288
T Clark 1b 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .254
M Reynolds 3b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .282
J Salazar rf 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .291
C Snyder c 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .258
A Ojeda 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .276
M Owings p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .291

Totals 5 1 2 1 2 0 3

BATTING: HR - S Drew (12, 1st inning off J Van Benschoten 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - S
Drew (57). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Snyder 2. Team LOB - 3.



PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N Morgan cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286
J Wilson ss 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .296
A LaRoche 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .274
X Nady lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .282
J Bautista 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .259
S Pearce rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .296
J Castillo 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .242
C Maldonado c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .176
J Van Benschoten p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143

Totals 4 0 1 0 0 1 2

BATTING: Team LOB - 1.


----------------------------------------------------
ARIZONA - 1 -- 1
PITTSBURGH - 0 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA ip h r er bb so hr era
M Owings 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.46

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
J Van Benschoten 1 2 1 1 2 0 1 9.71

Pitches-strikes: M Owings 19-13; J Van Benschoten 25-12. Ground balls-fly
balls: M Owings 1-1; J Van Benschoten 0-3. Batters faced: M Owings 4; J Van
Benschoten 7.

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

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

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY MICAH OWINGS SCORED AUGIE OJEDA.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M OWINGS ON SECOND, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 2
PITTSBURGH 0 TOP, 2ND

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: C YOUNG (.237, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY STEPHEN DREW SCORED MICAH OWINGS.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, S DREW ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 3
PITTSBURGH 0 TOP, 2ND

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: E BYRNES (.288, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ERIC BYRNES SCORED STEPHEN DREW.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, E BYRNES ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 4
PITTSBURGH 0 TOP, 2ND

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: T CLARK (.254, 0-FOR-0, BB)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: ARI - MICAH OWINGS
PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J BAUTISTA (.259, 15 HR, 62 RBI)
S PEARCE (.296, 0 HR, 5 RBI)
J CASTILLO (.242, 0 HR, 23 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA (4) VS PITTSBURGH (0) - MID 2ND - IN PROGRESS

ARIZONA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Young cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .237
S Drew ss 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 .235
E Byrnes lf 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 .289
T Clark 1b 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 .252
M Reynolds 3b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .282
J Salazar rf 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .291
C Snyder c 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .258
A Ojeda 2b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .283
M Owings p 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .304

Totals 11 4 6 4 2 1 5

BATTING: 2B - M Owings (5, J Van Benschoten). HR - S Drew (12, 1st inning off J
Van Benschoten 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - S Drew 2 (58), M Owings (13), E Byrnes (83).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Snyder 2. Team LOB - 3.

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


PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N Morgan cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286
J Wilson ss 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .296
A LaRoche 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .274
X Nady lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .282
J Bautista 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .259
S Pearce rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .296
J Castillo 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .242
C Maldonado c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .176
J Van Benschoten p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143

Totals 4 0 1 0 0 1 2

BATTING: Team LOB - 1.


----------------------------------------------------
ARIZONA - 13 -- 4
PITTSBURGH - 0 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA ip h r er bb so hr era
M Owings 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.46

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
J Van Benschoten 2 6 4 4 2 1 1 10.15

Pitches-strikes: M Owings 19-13; J Van Benschoten 50-31. Ground balls-fly
balls: M Owings 1-1; J Van Benschoten 0-4. Batters faced: M Owings 4; J Van
Benschoten 13.

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

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

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: ARI - MICAH OWINGS
PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: M REYNOLDS (.282, 1-FOR-1)
J SALAZAR (.291, 0-FOR-0, BB)
C SNYDER (.258, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">ARIZONA (4) VS PITTSBURGH (0) - END 2ND - IN PROGRESS

ARIZONA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Young cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .237
S Drew ss 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 .235
E Byrnes lf 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 .289
T Clark 1b 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 .252
M Reynolds 3b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .282
J Salazar rf 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .291
C Snyder c 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .258
A Ojeda 2b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .283
M Owings p 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .304

Totals 11 4 6 4 2 1 5

BATTING: 2B - M Owings (5, J Van Benschoten). HR - S Drew (12, 1st inning off J
Van Benschoten 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - S Drew 2 (58), M Owings (13), E Byrnes (83).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Snyder 2. Team LOB - 3.

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


PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N Morgan cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286
J Wilson ss 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .296
A LaRoche 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .274
X Nady lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .282
J Bautista 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .259
S Pearce rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .291
J Castillo 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .241
C Maldonado c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .176
J Van Benschoten p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143

Totals 7 0 1 0 0 1 2

BATTING: Team LOB - 1.


----------------------------------------------------
ARIZONA - 13 -- 4
PITTSBURGH - 00 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA ip h r er bb so hr era
M Owings 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.43

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
J Van Benschoten 2 6 4 4 2 1 1 10.15

Pitches-strikes: M Owings 34-23; J Van Benschoten 50-31. Ground balls-fly
balls: M Owings 2-3; J Van Benschoten 0-4. Batters faced: M Owings 7; J Van
Benschoten 13.

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

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

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - PITCHING CHANGE
PIT: TONY ARMAS (4-5, 6.19) STARTING THE 3RD
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 4, PITTSBURGH 0

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: M REYNOLDS (.282, 1-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: ARIZONA at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: T Armas relieved J Van Benschoten.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ARIZONA 4
PITTSBURGH 0 TOP, 3RD

DUE UP FOR ARIZONA: M Reynolds (.282, 1-FOR-1)</div>