Final Score: Pittsburgh 9, Arizona 6
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Andrew McCutchen and John Bowker each hit two-run homers to help the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-6, in the second test of a three-game series at PNC Park.
Neil Walker knocked in two runs for the Pirates, who have won two in a row since a four-game skid. James McDonald (4-5) went five innings in the start, allowing two runs on four hits. He also struck out six and walked four.
Ryan Church hit a three-run homer for the Diamondbacks, who have lost 11 of their past 14 games. Kelly Johnson added a solo shot in defeat.
Barry Enright (6-5) got rocked in 3 2/3 frames, giving up six runs on six hits to suffer his third straight loss. The right-hander also walked three batters and fanned one.
Arizona failed to score after putting men on first and second over each of the first three frames.
The Pirates got on the board in the third. Chris Snyder hit a one-out single and crossed the plate on McCutchen’s homer to center.
The D’Backs got a run back in the top of the fourth. Church led off with a double and raced home on Enright’s two-out single to make it a 2-1 game.
Pittsburgh responded with a five-spot in the bottom half to take a 7-1 margin. Pedro Alvarez walked and scored when Bowker cleared the wall in center. Snyder singled and McDonald doubled to put men on second and third with two outs. Zack Kroenke came in from the bullpen and walked McCutchen and Jose Tabata to force in a run. Walker followed with a two-run bloop single to center.
Johnson’s homer in the top of the fifth made it a 7-2 game. The Pirates, though, scored twice in the home half to make it a seven-run contest. With men on second and third and nobody out, Ronny Cedeno hit a sacrifice fly. Snyder followed with an RBI single.
Church’s three-run homer to right in the seventh cut the gap to 9-5.
Evan Meek gave up an RBI single to Adam LaRoche in the ninth to account for the final score.
Game Notes
Arizona outfielder Justin Upton (left shoulder) missed the game…The Pirates were without outfielders Garrett Jones (right shoulder) and Lastings Milledge (strained left oblique)…The Pirates have recorded at least one extra-base hit in a season-high 31 consecutive games. Pittsburgh produced an extra-base hit in a season-high 32 straight games in 2009…McDonald’s consecutive scoreless innings streak was stopped at 20. It’s the longest scoreless streak by a Pirates pitcher since Zach Duke went 22.0 straight innings without giving up a run in 2002 (July 2-21)…Snyder and Bowker each had three hits.
09/18 22:41:19 ET