GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: PITTSBURGH (57-71) at HOUSTON (57-73)

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PITTSBURGH 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 8 0
HOUSTON 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 5 10 0 (TOP 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: PIT - SHAWN CHACON
HOU - MARK MCLEMORE

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: C IZTURIS (.252, 1-FOR-3, RBI)
S CHACON (.273, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
N MCLOUTH (.252, 2-FOR-4)</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">PITTSBURGH (4) VS HOUSTON (5) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS

PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N McLouth cf 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 .252
J Bautista rf 3 1 0 0 1 3 1 .262
F Sanchez 2b 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 .306
J Phelps c 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 .449
C Maldonado c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Bay lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 4 .253
A LaRoche 1b 4 0 2 2 0 0 1 .266
J Castillo 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .244
C Izturis ss 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 .252
T Armas p 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .158
F Osoria p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Sanchez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Marte p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S Chacon p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273

Totals 31 4 8 4 3 10 14

BATTING: 2B - J Bay (22, W Rodriguez). HR - F Sanchez (10, 5th inning off W
Rodriguez 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - C Izturis (10), A LaRoche 2 (77), F Sanchez (61).
2-out RBI - C Izturis, A LaRoche 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T
Armas 1, J Castillo 2. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Bautista (6, 2nd base off W Rodriguez/B Ausmus). CS - N
McLouth (1, 2nd base by W Rodriguez).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Bautista (L Berkman at Home). DP: 1 (R
Sanchez-C Izturis-A LaRoche).


HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Burke 2b 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 .226
H Pence cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .321
L Berkman 1b 4 1 3 1 0 1 0 .272
C Lee lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .307
L Scott rf 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 .257
T Wigginton 3b 3 1 1 2 1 0 0 .267
M Loretta ss 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .279
B Ausmus c 4 0 1 0 0 2 3 .233
W Rodriguez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .128
a-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .239
D Borkowski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-C Biggio ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .252
M McLemore p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 32 5 10 5 2 6 9

a-lined out to second for W Rodriguez in the 5th; b-popped out to shortstop
for D Borkowski in the 6th.

BATTING: 2B - L Berkman (16, T Armas); C Lee (37, T Armas); L Scott (24, D
Marte). HR - T Wigginton (3, 8th inning off S Chacon 1 on, 1 Out). RBI - L
Berkman (82), L Scott (56), M Loretta (32), T Wigginton 2 (9). Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - C Biggio 2, B Ausmus 1, C Lee 1. GIDP - H Pence. Team
LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Burke (8, 2nd base off T Armas/J Phelps).


----------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH - 012 010 00 -- 4
HOUSTON - 100 002 02 -- 5
----------------------------------------------------

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
T Armas 5 1/3 7 3 3 1 4 0 6.93
F Osoria 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.25
R Sanchez 2/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
D Marte 2/3 1 1 1 0 1 0 2.04
S Chacon 2/3 1 1 1 0 1 1 4.16

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 5 7 4 4 3 7 1 4.67
D Borkowski 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.19
M McLemore 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 3.24

WP - F Osoria. HBP - C Burke (by T Armas). Pitches-strikes: T Armas 100-68; F
Osoria 9-7; R Sanchez 9-5; D Marte 9-8; S Chacon 7-5; W Rodriguez 110-70; D
Borkowski 10-7; M McLemore 28-17. Ground balls-fly balls: T Armas 5-6; F Osoria
0-2; R Sanchez 2-0; D Marte 1-0; S Chacon 1-0; W Rodriguez 2-5; D Borkowski
1-2; M McLemore 0-3. Batters faced: T Armas 24; F Osoria 3; R Sanchez 2; D
Marte 3; S Chacon 3; W Rodriguez 24; D Borkowski 3; M McLemore 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Adam Dowdy. 1B--Alfonso Marquez. 2B--Chuck Meriwether. 3B--Tim
Timmons.
(Plus ceremonies delay totaling 19 minutes in the 1st).
Weather: INDOORS.</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - PITCHING CHANGE
HOU: BRAD LIDGE (3-2, 3.13) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 5

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: C IZTURIS (.252, 1-FOR-3, RBI)</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: B Lidge relieved M McLemore.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4
HOUSTON 5 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: C Izturis (.252, 1-FOR-3, RBI)</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: X Nady hit for S Chacon.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4
HOUSTON 5 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: X Nady (.294, 17 HR, 65 RBI)</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: I Snell ran for X Nady.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, I SNELL ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4
HOUSTON 5 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N McLouth (.252, 2-FOR-4)</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PITTSBURGH 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 8 0
HOUSTON 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 x 5 10 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: PIT - TONY ARMAS, FRANQUELIS OSORIA (6TH), ROMULO SANCHEZ (7TH),
DAMASO MARTE (7TH), SHAWN CHACON (8TH) AND JOSH PHELPS, CARLOS
MALDONADO (7TH)

HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ, DAVE BORKOWSKI (6TH), MARK
MCLEMORE (7TH), BRAD LIDGE (9TH) AND BRAD AUSMUS

HOME RUNS: PIT - FREDDY SANCHEZ (10) OFF WANDY RODRIGUEZ IN THE 5TH, 0 ON

HOU - TY WIGGINTON (3) OFF SHAWN CHACON IN THE 8TH, 1 ON</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PITTSBURGH 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 8 0
HOUSTON 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 x 5 10 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: PIT - TONY ARMAS, FRANQUELIS OSORIA (6TH), ROMULO SANCHEZ (7TH),
DAMASO MARTE (7TH), SHAWN CHACON (8TH) AND JOSH PHELPS, CARLOS
MALDONADO (7TH)

HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ, DAVE BORKOWSKI (6TH), MARK
MCLEMORE (7TH), BRAD LIDGE (9TH) AND BRAD AUSMUS


WP - MARK MCLEMORE (3-0)
LP - SHAWN CHACON (4-4)
SAVE - BRAD LIDGE (13)

HOME RUNS: PIT - FREDDY SANCHEZ (10) OFF WANDY RODRIGUEZ IN THE 5TH, 0 ON

HOU - TY WIGGINTON (3) OFF SHAWN CHACON IN THE 8TH, 1 ON


TIME: 3:04 ATT: 42,564

PROBABLES: STL - BRADEN LOOPER (10-10, 4.90)
HOU - WOODY WILLIAMS (8-12, 4.84)

PROBABLES: CIN - ELIZARDO RAMIREZ (0-1, 6.35) & CIN - BRONSON ARROYO (7-13, 4.55)
PIT - TOM GORZELANNY (12-7, 3.40) & PIT - PAUL MAHOLM (10-14, 4.39)</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">PITTSBURGH (4) VS HOUSTON (5) - FINAL

PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N McLouth cf 5 0 2 0 0 2 1 .251
J Bautista rf 4 1 0 0 1 4 2 .262
F Sanchez 2b 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 .306
J Phelps c 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 .449
C Maldonado c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Bay lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 4 .253
A LaRoche 1b 4 0 2 2 0 0 1 .266
J Castillo 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .244
C Izturis ss 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .251
T Armas p 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .158
F Osoria p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Sanchez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Marte p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S Chacon p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273
a-X Nady ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .294
I Snell pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .093

Totals 34 4 8 4 4 12 16

a-walked for S Chacon in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - J Bay (22, W Rodriguez). HR - F Sanchez (10, 5th inning off W
Rodriguez 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - C Izturis (10), A LaRoche 2 (77), F Sanchez (61).
2-out RBI - C Izturis, A LaRoche 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T
Armas 1, J Castillo 2. Team LOB - 7.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Bautista (6, 2nd base off W Rodriguez/B Ausmus). CS - N
McLouth (1, 2nd base by W Rodriguez).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Bautista (L Berkman at Home). DP: 1 (R
Sanchez-C Izturis-A LaRoche).


HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Burke 2b 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 .226
H Pence cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .321
L Berkman 1b 4 1 3 1 0 1 0 .272
C Lee lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .307
L Scott rf 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 .257
T Wigginton 3b 3 1 1 2 1 0 0 .267
M Loretta ss 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .279
E Bruntlett ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246
B Ausmus c 4 0 1 0 0 2 3 .233
W Rodriguez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .128
a-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .239
D Borkowski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-C Biggio ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .252
M McLemore p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 32 5 10 5 2 6 9

a-lined out to second for W Rodriguez in the 5th; b-popped out to shortstop
for D Borkowski in the 6th.

BATTING: 2B - L Berkman (16, T Armas); C Lee (37, T Armas); L Scott (24, D
Marte). HR - T Wigginton (3, 8th inning off S Chacon 1 on, 1 Out). RBI - L
Berkman (82), L Scott (56), M Loretta (32), T Wigginton 2 (9). Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - C Biggio 2, B Ausmus 1, C Lee 1. GIDP - H Pence. Team
LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Burke (8, 2nd base off T Armas/J Phelps).


----------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH - 012 010 000 -- 4
HOUSTON - 100 002 02x -- 5
----------------------------------------------------

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
T Armas 5 1/3 7 3 3 1 4 0 6.93
F Osoria (H, 2) 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.25
R Sanchez (H, 1) 2/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
D Marte (H, 11) 2/3 1 1 1 0 1 0 2.04
S Chacon (L, 4-4; B, 5) 2/3 1 1 1 0 1 1 4.16

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 5 7 4 4 3 7 1 4.67
D Borkowski 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.19
M McLemore (W, 3-0) 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 3.24
B Lidge (S, 13) 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 3.07

WP - F Osoria. HBP - C Burke (by T Armas). Pitches-strikes: T Armas 100-68; F
Osoria 9-7; R Sanchez 9-5; D Marte 9-8; S Chacon 7-5; W Rodriguez 110-70; D
Borkowski 10-7; M McLemore 28-17; B Lidge 22-12. Ground balls-fly balls: T
Armas 5-6; F Osoria 0-2; R Sanchez 2-0; D Marte 1-0; S Chacon 1-0; W Rodriguez
2-5; D Borkowski 1-2; M McLemore 0-3; B Lidge 0-1. Batters faced: T Armas 24; F
Osoria 3; R Sanchez 2; D Marte 3; S Chacon 3; W Rodriguez 24; D Borkowski 3; M
McLemore 7; B Lidge 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Adam Dowdy. 1B--Alfonso Marquez. 2B--Chuck Meriwether. 3B--Tim
Timmons.

T--3:04. (Plus ceremonies delay totaling 19 minutes in the 1st). Att--42,564.

Weather: INDOORS</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
PITTSBURGH 4
HOUSTON 5 FINAL</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PITTSBURGH (4) AT HOUSTON (5) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOUSTON 1ST: C Burke hit by pitch. H Pence struck out swinging, C Burke
stole second. L Berkman singled to right, C Burke scored. C Lee grounded out
to pitcher, L Berkman to second. L Scott singled to right, L Berkman thrown
out at home. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 2ND: J Phelps lined out to shortstop. J Bay doubled to left.
A LaRoche singled to right, J Bay to third. J Castillo struck out looking.
C Izturis singled to left, J Bay scored, A LaRoche to second. T Armas struck out
swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 1, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: N McLouth fouled out to first. J Bautista walked.
J Bautista stole second. F Sanchez walked. J Phelps walked, J Bautista to third,
F Sanchez to second. J Bay struck out swinging. A LaRoche singled to left,
J Bautista and F Sanchez scored, J Phelps to third, A LaRoche to second advancing
on throw. J Castillo flied out to right. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3,
HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 5TH: J Bautista struck out swinging. F Sanchez homered to left.
J Phelps singled to left. J Bay grounded into fielder's choice to third,
J Phelps out at second. A LaRoche flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 6TH: L Berkman singled to left. C Lee doubled to left, L Berkman
to third. L Scott grounded out to second, L Berkman scored, C Lee to third.
T Wigginton walked. F Osoria relieved T Armas. M Loretta singled to right, C Lee
scored, T Wigginton to second. B Ausmus flied out to center. C Biggio hit for
D Borkowski. T Wigginton to third, M Loretta to second on wild pitch by
F Osoria. C Biggio popped out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

HOUSTON 8TH: C Lee grounded out to pitcher. L Scott doubled to center.
S Chacon relieved D Marte. T Wigginton homered to left, L Scott scored.
M Loretta grounded out to third. B Ausmus struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 5.</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PITTSBURGH (4) AT HOUSTON (5) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pittsburgh Starting Lineups -- N McLouth CF, J Bautista RF, F Sanchez 2B,
J Phelps C, J Bay LF, A LaRoche 1B, J Castillo 3B, C Izturis SS, T Armas RHP.

Houston Starting Lineups -- C Burke 2B, H Pence CF, L Berkman 1B, C Lee LF,
L Scott RF, T Wigginton 3B, M Loretta SS, B Ausmus C, W Rodriguez LHP.

Umpires -- Adam Dowdy (HP), Alfonso Marquez (1B), Chuck Meriwether (2B),
Tim Timmons (3B).

Gametime Weather: INDOORS.


PITTSBURGH 1ST: N McLouth struck out swinging. J Bautista struck out
swinging. F Sanchez flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0,
HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 1ST: C Burke hit by pitch. H Pence struck out swinging, C Burke
stole second. L Berkman singled to right, C Burke scored. C Lee grounded out
to pitcher, L Berkman to second. L Scott singled to right, L Berkman thrown
out at home. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 2ND: J Phelps lined out to shortstop. J Bay doubled to left.
A LaRoche singled to right, J Bay to third. J Castillo struck out looking.
C Izturis singled to left, J Bay scored, A LaRoche to second. T Armas struck out
swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 1, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 2ND: T Wigginton flied out to left. M Loretta grounded out to
third. B Ausmus reached on infield single to shortstop. W Rodriguez popped
out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 1, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: N McLouth fouled out to first. J Bautista walked.
J Bautista stole second. F Sanchez walked. J Phelps walked, J Bautista to third,
F Sanchez to second. J Bay struck out swinging. A LaRoche singled to left,
J Bautista and F Sanchez scored, J Phelps to third, A LaRoche to second advancing
on throw. J Castillo flied out to right. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3,
HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 3RD: C Burke flied out to center. H Pence struck out swinging.
L Berkman doubled to deep center. C Lee struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 4TH: C Izturis grounded out to shortstop. T Armas struck out
looking. N McLouth singled to right center. N McLouth caught stealing second,
pitcher to first to shortstop.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 4TH: L Scott singled to center. T Wigginton grounded out to
pitcher, L Scott to second. M Loretta grounded out to shortstop, L Scott to
third. B Ausmus struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3,
HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 5TH: J Bautista struck out swinging. F Sanchez homered to left.
J Phelps singled to left. J Bay grounded into fielder's choice to third,
J Phelps out at second. A LaRoche flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 5TH: O Palmeiro hit for W Rodriguez. O Palmeiro lined out to
second. C Burke flied out to right. H Pence lined out to second. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 6TH: D Borkowski relieved W Rodriguez. J Castillo flied out to
right. C Izturis flied out to left. T Armas grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 6TH: L Berkman singled to left. C Lee doubled to left, L Berkman
to third. L Scott grounded out to second, L Berkman scored, C Lee to third.
T Wigginton walked. F Osoria relieved T Armas. M Loretta singled to right, C Lee
scored, T Wigginton to second. B Ausmus flied out to center. C Biggio hit for
D Borkowski. T Wigginton to third, M Loretta to second on wild pitch by
F Osoria. C Biggio popped out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

PITTSBURGH 7TH: M McLemore relieved D Borkowski. N McLouth singled to
center. J Bautista struck out swinging. F Sanchez popped out to second.
J Phelps struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

HOUSTON 7TH: R Sanchez relieved F Osoria. C Maldonado catching. C Burke
walked. H Pence grounded into double play, pitcher to shortstop to first,
C Burke out at second. D Marte relieved R Sanchez. L Berkman struck out swinging.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

PITTSBURGH 8TH: J Bay fouled out to first. A LaRoche flied out to center.
J Castillo struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4,
HOUSTON 3.

HOUSTON 8TH: C Lee grounded out to pitcher. L Scott doubled to center.
S Chacon relieved D Marte. T Wigginton homered to left, L Scott scored.
M Loretta grounded out to third. B Ausmus struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 5.

PITTSBURGH 9TH: B Lidge relieved M McLemore. E Bruntlett at shortstop.
C Izturis flied out to center. X Nady hit for S Chacon. X Nady walked. I Snell
ran for X Nady. N McLouth struck out swinging. J Bautista struck out swinging.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 5.</div>

 

Wigginton belts game-winning homer as Astros edge Pirates

<h3>HOUSTON 5, PITTSBURGH 4</h3>By Ted Dunnam
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


HOUSTON (Ticker) - Pittsburgh Pirates manger Jim Tracy'sdecision backfired.


Ty Wigginton hit the go-ahead homer in the bottom of the eighthinning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 5-4 victory over thePittsburgh Pirates in Sunday's series finale.


Pittsburgh led, 4-3, in the eighth with one out before Houston'sLuke Scott double to center to chase reliever Damaso Marte.

Tracy then called upon righthander Shawn Chacon (4-4), whosefirst offering to Wigginton was drilled into the left fieldstands for his 19th homer.


Houston's Mark McLemore (3-0) struck out three batters in twoscoreless innings and closer Brad Lidge shut the door in theninth for his 13th save.


In the sixth inning, Scott had an RBI groundout against Piratesstarter Tony Armas, and Mark Loretta delivered a run-scoringsingle one out later as the Astros trimmed the deficit to 4-3.

Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez gave up four runs and seven hitswith seven strikeouts and three walks over 5 1/3 innings toremain winless since July 26.


The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the first, when Lance Berkmansingled home Chris Burke, who was hit by a pitch. But thePirates produced the equalizer in the second as Jason Baydoubled and scored on Cesar Izturis's RBI single to left.

Armas pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hitswhile walking one and striking out four.


In the fifth, Freddie Sanchez homered off Rodriguez, his 10th ofthe season, to push Pittsburgh's lead to 4-1.


Pittsburgh's Romulo Sanchez made his major league debut in theseventh, issuing a leadoff walk to Burke. However, therighthander got rookie Hunter Pence to hit into a 1-6-3 doubleplay before being pulled.

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
PITTSBURGH 4
HOUSTON 5 FINAL</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PITTSBURGH (4) AT HOUSTON (5) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOUSTON 1ST: C Burke hit by pitch. H Pence struck out swinging, C Burke
stole second. L Berkman singled to right, C Burke scored. C Lee grounded out
to pitcher, L Berkman to second. L Scott singled to right, L Berkman thrown
out at home. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 2ND: J Phelps lined out to shortstop. J Bay doubled to left.
A LaRoche singled to right, J Bay to third. J Castillo struck out looking.
C Izturis singled to left, J Bay scored, A LaRoche to second. T Armas struck out
swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 1, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: N McLouth fouled out to first. J Bautista walked.
J Bautista stole second. F Sanchez walked. J Phelps walked, J Bautista to third,
F Sanchez to second. J Bay struck out swinging. A LaRoche singled to left,
J Bautista and F Sanchez scored, J Phelps to third, A LaRoche to second advancing
on throw. J Castillo flied out to right. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3,
HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 5TH: J Bautista struck out swinging. F Sanchez homered to left.
J Phelps singled to left. J Bay grounded into fielder's choice to third,
J Phelps out at second. A LaRoche flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 6TH: L Berkman singled to left. C Lee doubled to left, L Berkman
to third. L Scott grounded out to second, L Berkman scored, C Lee to third.
T Wigginton walked. F Osoria relieved T Armas. M Loretta singled to right, C Lee
scored, T Wigginton to second. B Ausmus flied out to center. C Biggio hit for
D Borkowski. T Wigginton to third, M Loretta to second on wild pitch by
F Osoria. C Biggio popped out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

HOUSTON 8TH: C Lee grounded out to pitcher. L Scott doubled to center.
S Chacon relieved D Marte. T Wigginton homered to left, L Scott scored.
M Loretta grounded out to third. B Ausmus struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 5.</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">PITTSBURGH (4) VS HOUSTON (5) - FINAL

PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N McLouth cf 5 0 2 0 0 2 1 .251
J Bautista rf 4 1 0 0 1 4 2 .262
F Sanchez 2b 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 .306
J Phelps c 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 .449
C Maldonado c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Bay lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 4 .253
A LaRoche 1b 4 0 2 2 0 0 1 .266
J Castillo 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .244
C Izturis ss 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .251
T Armas p 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .158
F Osoria p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Sanchez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Marte p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S Chacon p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273
a-X Nady ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .294
I Snell pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .093

Totals 34 4 8 4 4 12 16

a-walked for S Chacon in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - J Bay (22, W Rodriguez). HR - F Sanchez (10, 5th inning off W
Rodriguez 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - C Izturis (10), A LaRoche 2 (77), F Sanchez (61).
2-out RBI - C Izturis, A LaRoche 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T
Armas 1, J Castillo 2. Team LOB - 7.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Bautista (6, 2nd base off W Rodriguez/B Ausmus). CS - N
McLouth (1, 2nd base by W Rodriguez).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Bautista (L Berkman at Home). DP: 1 (R
Sanchez-C Izturis-A LaRoche).


HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Burke 2b 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 .226
H Pence cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .321
L Berkman 1b 4 1 3 1 0 1 0 .272
C Lee lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 1 .307
L Scott rf 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 .257
T Wigginton 3b 3 1 1 2 1 0 0 .267
M Loretta ss 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .279
E Bruntlett ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246
B Ausmus c 4 0 1 0 0 2 3 .233
W Rodriguez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .128
a-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .239
D Borkowski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-C Biggio ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .252
M McLemore p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 32 5 10 5 2 7 9

a-lined out to second for W Rodriguez in the 5th; b-popped out to shortstop
for D Borkowski in the 6th.

BATTING: 2B - L Berkman (16, T Armas); C Lee (37, T Armas); L Scott (24, D
Marte). HR - T Wigginton (3, 8th inning off S Chacon 1 on, 1 Out). RBI - L
Berkman (82), L Scott (56), M Loretta (32), T Wigginton 2 (9). Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - C Biggio 2, B Ausmus 1, C Lee 1. GIDP - H Pence. Team
LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Burke (8, 2nd base off T Armas/J Phelps).


----------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH - 012 010 000 -- 4
HOUSTON - 100 002 02x -- 5
----------------------------------------------------

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
T Armas 5 1/3 7 3 3 1 4 0 6.93
F Osoria (H, 2) 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.25
R Sanchez (H, 1) 2/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
D Marte (H, 11) 2/3 1 1 1 0 2 0 2.04
S Chacon (L, 4-4; B, 5) 2/3 1 1 1 0 1 1 4.16

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 5 7 4 4 3 7 1 4.67
D Borkowski 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.19
M McLemore (W, 3-0) 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 3.24
B Lidge (S, 13) 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 3.07

WP - F Osoria. HBP - C Burke (by T Armas). Pitches-strikes: T Armas 100-68; F
Osoria 9-7; R Sanchez 9-5; D Marte 18-13; S Chacon 7-5; W Rodriguez 110-70; D
Borkowski 10-7; M McLemore 28-17; B Lidge 22-12. Ground balls-fly balls: T
Armas 5-6; F Osoria 0-2; R Sanchez 2-0; D Marte 0-0; S Chacon 1-0; W Rodriguez
2-5; D Borkowski 1-2; M McLemore 0-3; B Lidge 0-1. Batters faced: T Armas 24; F
Osoria 3; R Sanchez 2; D Marte 3; S Chacon 3; W Rodriguez 24; D Borkowski 3; M
McLemore 7; B Lidge 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Adam Dowdy. 1B--Alfonso Marquez. 2B--Chuck Meriwether. 3B--Tim
Timmons.

T--3:04. (Plus ceremonies delay totaling 19 minutes in the 1st). Att--42,564.

Weather: INDOORS</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PITTSBURGH (4) AT HOUSTON (5) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOUSTON 1ST: C Burke hit by pitch. H Pence struck out swinging, C Burke
stole second. L Berkman singled to right, C Burke scored. C Lee grounded out
to pitcher, L Berkman to second. L Scott singled to right, L Berkman thrown
out at home. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 2ND: J Phelps lined out to shortstop. J Bay doubled to left.
A LaRoche singled to right, J Bay to third. J Castillo struck out looking.
C Izturis singled to left, J Bay scored, A LaRoche to second. T Armas struck out
swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 1, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: N McLouth fouled out to first. J Bautista walked.
J Bautista stole second. F Sanchez walked. J Phelps walked, J Bautista to third,
F Sanchez to second. J Bay struck out swinging. A LaRoche singled to left,
J Bautista and F Sanchez scored, J Phelps to third, A LaRoche to second advancing
on throw. J Castillo flied out to right. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3,
HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 5TH: J Bautista struck out swinging. F Sanchez homered to left.
J Phelps singled to left. J Bay grounded into fielder's choice to third,
J Phelps out at second. A LaRoche flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 6TH: L Berkman singled to left. C Lee doubled to left, L Berkman
to third. L Scott grounded out to second, L Berkman scored, C Lee to third.
T Wigginton walked. F Osoria relieved T Armas. M Loretta singled to right, C Lee
scored, T Wigginton to second. B Ausmus flied out to center. C Biggio hit for
D Borkowski. T Wigginton to third, M Loretta to second on wild pitch by
F Osoria. C Biggio popped out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

HOUSTON 8TH: C Lee struck out swinging. L Scott doubled to center.
S Chacon relieved D Marte. T Wigginton homered to left, L Scott scored.
M Loretta grounded out to third. B Ausmus struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 5.</div>

 

NL: PITTSBURGH at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PITTSBURGH (4) AT HOUSTON (5) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pittsburgh Starting Lineups -- N McLouth CF, J Bautista RF, F Sanchez 2B,
J Phelps C, J Bay LF, A LaRoche 1B, J Castillo 3B, C Izturis SS, T Armas RHP.

Houston Starting Lineups -- C Burke 2B, H Pence CF, L Berkman 1B, C Lee LF,
L Scott RF, T Wigginton 3B, M Loretta SS, B Ausmus C, W Rodriguez LHP.

Umpires -- Adam Dowdy (HP), Alfonso Marquez (1B), Chuck Meriwether (2B), Tim Timmons (3B).

Gametime Weather: INDOORS.


PITTSBURGH 1ST: N McLouth struck out swinging. J Bautista struck out
swinging. F Sanchez flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0,
HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 1ST: C Burke hit by pitch. H Pence struck out swinging, C Burke
stole second. L Berkman singled to right, C Burke scored. C Lee grounded out
to pitcher, L Berkman to second. L Scott singled to right, L Berkman thrown
out at home. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 0, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 2ND: J Phelps lined out to shortstop. J Bay doubled to left.
A LaRoche singled to right, J Bay to third. J Castillo struck out looking.
C Izturis singled to left, J Bay scored, A LaRoche to second. T Armas struck out
swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 1, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 2ND: T Wigginton flied out to left. M Loretta grounded out to
third. B Ausmus reached on infield single to shortstop. W Rodriguez popped
out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 1, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: N McLouth fouled out to first. J Bautista walked.
J Bautista stole second. F Sanchez walked. J Phelps walked, J Bautista to third,
F Sanchez to second. J Bay struck out swinging. A LaRoche singled to left,
J Bautista and F Sanchez scored, J Phelps to third, A LaRoche to second advancing
on throw. J Castillo flied out to right. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3,
HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 3RD: C Burke flied out to center. H Pence struck out swinging.
L Berkman doubled to deep center. C Lee struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 4TH: C Izturis grounded out to shortstop. T Armas struck out
looking. N McLouth singled to right center. N McLouth caught stealing second,
pitcher to first to shortstop.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 4TH: L Scott singled to center. T Wigginton grounded out to
pitcher, L Scott to second. M Loretta grounded out to shortstop, L Scott to
third. B Ausmus struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 3,
HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 5TH: J Bautista struck out swinging. F Sanchez homered to left.
J Phelps singled to left. J Bay grounded into fielder's choice to third,
J Phelps out at second. A LaRoche flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 5TH: O Palmeiro hit for W Rodriguez. O Palmeiro lined out to
second. C Burke flied out to right. H Pence lined out to second. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

PITTSBURGH 6TH: D Borkowski relieved W Rodriguez. J Castillo flied out to
right. C Izturis flied out to left. T Armas grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 6TH: L Berkman singled to left. C Lee doubled to left, L Berkman
to third. L Scott grounded out to second, L Berkman scored, C Lee to third.
T Wigginton walked. F Osoria relieved T Armas. M Loretta singled to right, C Lee
scored, T Wigginton to second. B Ausmus flied out to center. C Biggio hit for
D Borkowski. T Wigginton to third, M Loretta to second on wild pitch by
F Osoria. C Biggio popped out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

PITTSBURGH 7TH: M McLemore relieved D Borkowski. N McLouth singled to
center. J Bautista struck out swinging. F Sanchez popped out to second.
J Phelps struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

HOUSTON 7TH: C Maldonado catching. R Sanchez relieved F Osoria. C Burke
walked. H Pence grounded into double play, pitcher to shortstop to first,
C Burke out at second. D Marte relieved R Sanchez. L Berkman struck out swinging.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 3.

PITTSBURGH 8TH: J Bay fouled out to first. A LaRoche flied out to center.
J Castillo struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4,
HOUSTON 3.

HOUSTON 8TH: C Lee struck out swinging. L Scott doubled to center.
S Chacon relieved D Marte. T Wigginton homered to left, L Scott scored.
M Loretta grounded out to third. B Ausmus struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 5.

PITTSBURGH 9TH: B Lidge relieved M McLemore. E Bruntlett at shortstop.
C Izturis flied out to center. X Nady hit for S Chacon. X Nady walked. I Snell
ran for X Nady. N McLouth struck out swinging. J Bautista struck out swinging.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PITTSBURGH 4, HOUSTON 5.</div>

 

Wigginton belts game-winning homer as Astros edge Pirates

<h3>HOUSTON 5, PITTSBURGH 4</h3>By Ted Dunnam
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


HOUSTON (Ticker) - Pittsburgh Pirates manger Jim Tracy'sdecision backfired.


Ty Wigginton hit the go-ahead homer in the bottom of the eighthinning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 5-4 victory over thePittsburgh Pirates in Sunday's series finale.


Pittsburgh led, 4-3, in the eighth with one out before Houston'sLuke Scott double to center to chase reliever Damaso Marte.

Tracy then called upon righthander Shawn Chacon (4-4), whosefirst offering to Wigginton was drilled into the left fieldstands for his 19th homer.


"I was just looking for a pitch I could drive," Wigginton said."I just wanted to have a good at-bat and get Luke (Scott) in.It definitely feels good anytime you hit a home run to win agame."


"It was a first-pitch slider," Chacon said. "I was just tryingto get ahead of the batter. It wasn't the best slider, but itwas a pitch he could handle - and he handled it."


Houston manager Phil Garner predicted the home run to assistantcoach Cecil Cooper just moments before it happened.

"It was about time," Garner said. "We haven't had one of thosein a while."


Houston's Mark McLemore (3-0) struck out three batters in twoscoreless innings and closer Brad Lidge shut the door in theninth for his 13th save.


In the sixth inning, Scott had an RBI groundout against Piratesstarter Tony Armas, and Mark Loretta delivered a run-scoringsingle one out later as the Astros trimmed the deficit to 4-3.

Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez gave up four runs and seven hitswith seven strikeouts and three walks over 5 1/3 innings toremain winless since July 26.


"(Rodriguez) had his foot to the pedal," Garner said. "He wasgrinding, he was trying a little too hard."


The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the first, when Lance Berkmansingled home Chris Burke, who was hit by a pitch. But thePirates produced the equalizer in the second as Jason Baydoubled and scored on Cesar Izturis's RBI single to left.

Armas pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hitswhile walking one and striking out four.


"I felt pretty good out there. My location was good, and I feltstrong," Armas said. "I think I've been pretty consistentlately. It's just a matter of repetition.


"This was a tough game to lose, but at least we're playing goodbaseball. We just need to keep doing it."


In the fifth, All-Star Freddie Sanchez homered off Rodriguez,his 10th of the season, to push Pittsburgh's lead to 4-1.

It appeared at that point that the Pirates would secure Armas'third win in his last four starts.


"I thought we did everything we could possibly do to win thegame," Tracy said. "They got a couple of big at-bats, andthat's all it takes."


Tracy shook off the loss quickly and focused on what lies ahead.

"It was a terrific road trip," Tracy said. "Now, we've got aday off and we get to give our bullpen a chance to rechargetheir batteries and get ready for a doubleheader on Tuesday (vs.Cincinnati)."


Pittsburgh's Romulo Sanchez made his major league debut in theseventh, issuing a leadoff walk to Burke. However, therighthander got rookie Hunter Pence to hit into a 1-6-3 doubleplay before being pulled.


Although Houston's Craig Biggio only pinch hit Sunday, thevictory was nevertheless memorable as his long-time teammate,Jeff Bagwell, had his No. 5 jersey retired during a pre-gameceremony.


"If you're going to retire somebody's number, you can't lose thegame," Biggio said. "The Pirates have been a thorn in our sidethis season. It was good to get the win."