Colorado Pitching Rocked by Pirates

The bargain-basement Pittsburgh Pirates are so young and inexperienced, they don’t know when they’re supposed to lose.

Kevin Young’s two-run pinch-hit double put them ahead and Al Martin finished a nine-run eighth inning with a grand slam as the first-place Pirates rallied past the Colorado Rockies, 15-10, on Thursday night at Pittsburgh.

The surprising Pirates, who had lost their previous three games by a combined 27-7 to Atlanta, took advantage of 13 hits and 12 walks to stage their most dramatic rally in years.

“It was a wild and exciting finish. This is a prime example of this team,” Martin said. “Everybody told us we would lose 100 games. But we’ll scratch and claw and fight to the final out every night.”

The Rockies couldn’t hold leads of 6-3, 7-5 and 9-6.

“That’s not even major league baseball, walking 12 guys,” Rocky Manager Don Baylor said. “You score 10 runs on the road and you lose that game, that’s almost unheard of.”

Walt Weiss’ two-run double in the top of the eighth off eventual winner Marc Wilkins (3-0) made it 9-6, but Martin and Mark Johnson started the Pirates’ half of the inning with singles off Mike Munoz.

Steve Reed (0-2) then walked Kevin Elster to load the bases, and Jason Kendall’s two-run single cut it to 9-8. Young, who was 0 for 1 as a pinch-hitter and was badly fooled on the first pitch, then hit a 2-and-2 pitch to center field to score the tying and go-ahead runs.

After Bruce Ruffin threw a run-scoring wild pitch and Tony Womack and Jermaine Allensworth drew the Pirates’ 11th and 12th walks, Martin hit his first grand slam and his fourth homer of the season.

Houston 1, New York 0--Darryl Kile pitched four-hit ball for eight innings and pinch-hitter Craig Biggio’s sacrifice fly in the ninth gave Houston the victory at New York.

Biggio, in his first pinch-hitting appearance of the season, drove in the lone run with a bases-loaded fly to the left-field fence that broke up a scoreless duel between Kile (3-2) and Rick Reed.

Reed blanked Houston on five hits for eight innings, and the Astros won it after Greg McMichael (3-3) relieved to start the ninth.

Bill Spiers, subbing for Biggio at second base, led off with a single and took third when James Mouton, starting in place of Derek Bell in center field, followed with a double. After Jeff Bagwell grounded out to the drawn-in infield, Luis Gonzalez was intentionally walked to load the bases for Biggio, who flied out to score the run.

Florida 4, Atlanta 3--Edgar Renteria’s run-scoring single scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning at Atlanta as the Marlins denied Denny Neagle’s bid to become the NL’s first seven-game winner.

Neagle, who had won six consecutive decisions, left with a 3-2 lead after six innings, but Mike Bielecki (1-3) couldn’t stop the Marlins, who won their fourth in a row.

Jim Eisenreich opened Florida’s seventh with a single off Bielecki. First baseman Fred McGriff then threw away Charles Johnson’s bunt, putting runners at first and second. After a forceout at third, Kurt Abbott hit a run-scoring double before Renteria singled.

Montreal 9, San Diego 7--Rondell White hit a go-ahead, run-scoring double in the eighth inning, leading the Expos to the victory at Montreal over the Padres, two of whose pitchers were ejected for hitting batters.

On an afternoon during which four Expos were hit, San Diego starter Tim Worrell was ejected in the second inning by plate umpire Charlie Reliford for hitting Expo starter Jeff Juden in the back. Tim Scott was tossed in the seventh after hitting consecutive batters: Mark Grudzielanek and Mike Lansing.

With San Diego leading, 7-5, in the eighth, Joey Long hit F.P. Santangelo with a pitch leading off, Chris Widger doubled and Trevor Hoffman (1-3) threw a wild pitch with two outs that pulled Montreal within a run.

Mike Lansing walked and White followed with a run-scoring double. He took third on the throw and came around when Hoffman, trying to catch him at third, threw wildly for an error.

St. Louis 12, Philadelphia 3--Ray Lankford had three hits, including a two-run homer, and pinch-hitter Gary Gaetti doubled home two runs in a three-run fifth inning as the Cardinals won at Philadelphia.

Cardinal starter Todd Stottlemyre (2-2) gave up three runs and five hits in six innings and aided himself with a run-scoring double.

With the score tied, 2-2, in the fifth, Lankford singled with one out and went to third on Micah Franklin’s single. Mike Gulan’s grounder scored Lankford. Mike Difelice singled, and after Michael Mimbs replaced Phillie starter Calvin Maduro, Gaetti, batting for Mark Sweeney, doubled to left.

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BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

Player: Ray Lankford

Team: St. Louis

Performance: 3 for 5, HR, 2 RBI, hitting .400 since April 22

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Al Martin

Team: Pittsburgh

Performance: 2 for 4, grand slam

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: A. Galarraga

Team: Colorado

Performance: 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI

Team’s Result: Win

PITCHING

Player: Darryl Kile

Team: Houston

Performance: 8 shutout innings, 4 hits, 1 ER in last 24 innings

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Antonio Osuna

Team: Dodgers

Performance: 1 2/3 shutout innings, 1st game back with team

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: O. Fernandez

Team: San Francisco

Performance: 7 innings, 6 hits, 1 run

Team’s Result: Win