The Pittsburgh Pirates are a scrappy little team. They kind of remind us of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The fought hard and played well but in the end (or at least in the eighth inning) it was Chris Young's two-run blast that was the difference in another tight game between these up-and-coming teams.
Josh Collmenter pitched another gem, giving up no runs and four hits in 5 innings of work but the pesky Pirates forced him into long innings and ran up his pitch count with a ton of foul balls. That made Kirk Gibson go to his bull pen in the sixth inning but fortunately, Micah Owings was up to the task.
Owings went 2.1 innings and earned the win (2-0) and in the eighth inning he made his way on base with an infield hit. Chris Young followed with a two-run blast just inside the left field foul poll. David Hernandez came on and closed it out in the ninth with J.J. Putz unavailable due to what's been reported as minor back stiffness.
The Diamondbacks lost the series to the Pirates 2-1. It was their first series loss since getting swept by the Giants in mid-May. Next up is a four-game set in Florida against the Fish.
For more on this game and all things D-backs, visit AZ Snake Pit.