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| Bay ends marathon game as Pirates top Cubs PITTSBURGH 5, CHICAGO CUBS 4 (14 INNINGS) |
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PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Jason Bay had a walk-off single in the 14th inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates outlasted the Chicago Cubs, 5-4, on Saturday. Freddy Sanchez reached on a throwing error by shortstop Ryan Theriot to lead off the 14th. Michael Wuertz (0-1) uncorked a wild pitch and, after a sacrifice, Bay looped a single to center field for the game-winner. "I've been seeing the ball well all year, and as you know I'm very streaky," Bay said. "Even when I wasn't hitting the ball I was seeing it, which is very positive. "I was excited to get a runner on third with less than two outs. I just wanted to get the ball to the outfield. My plan was just to get it in the air, but the pitches weren't really conducive. Even the pitch I hit was a fastball down and in, but ... I found the ball and it worked." Bay also homered in leading the Pirates to just their second win in 11 meetings between the teams. Pittsburgh tied the game at 4-4 in the ninth when Doug Mientkiewicz was hit by a pitch and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Luis Rivas. Jason Grabow (4-1) helped the Pirates win the battle of the bullpens by firing three scoreless innings. Pirates closer Matt Capps also threw three scoreless innings, from the ninth through the 11th. It was the first time in Capps' major league career that he pitched three innings in a game. "But I only threw 30 pitches (32)," said Capps, who hopes to be able to pitch in relief Sunday. "I'll have to see what it feels like tomorrow. If the game calls for it and the situation calls for it, I want to be in there." Bay's 12th home run of the season - a two-run shot in the fourth - gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead. "He's comfortable here and he knows the park well, but he knows if he hits the ball well it's going to go out no matter what park he's in," Pirates manager John Russell said. Jason Michaels stretched the lead to 3-1 with a run-scoring single in the sixth, but Chicago barged ahead with three runs in the eighth. After Theriot drew a leadoff walk and Derrek Lee singled, Aramis Ramirez plated both with a double off Tyler Yates. But Pittsburgh rallied in the ninth when Cubs closer Kerry Wood began the frame by drilling Mientkiewicz. Xavier Nady ripped a pinch-hit single to center, and Sanchez sacrificed Mientkiewicz to third. Rivas then plated the tying run with a sacrifice fly to right. Rookie Geovany Soto's RBI double put Chicago up, 1-0, in the fourth. Lee led off the frame with a double and scored when Soto doubled to left off Pirates starter Phil Dumatrait. Bay put the Pirates ahead in the bottom of the frame. After Nate McLouth walked, Bay lifted a Jason Marquis offering just over the left-center field wall for a 2-1 edge. Dumatrait, who walked a career-high seven in his last start against Chicago on Sunday, allowed one run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. The lefthander struck out two and walked three. The Cubs have dominated Pittsburgh because of their explosive bats. Going into the game, Chicago had scored 46 earned runs in 50 innings against Pittsburgh starters (an 8.28 ERA) this year. Bucking this trend, Dumatrait kept the powerful Cubs lineup in check, holding them to five hits and one run in 5 2/3 innings. Dumatrait walked three batters, an improvement over the seven Chicago batters he walked in Wrigley Field six days earlier during a 4-3 Pittsburgh loss. He may have pitched further into the game but was hit by a line drive by Theriot on his left leg just above the knee. After he walked two of the next four batters, Russell pulled Dumatrait to send in relief pitcher Franquelis Osoria, who struck out Mark DeRosa on three pitches. "(The leg) is a little stiff right now, but luckily it didn't hit me on the kneecap," said Dumatrait, noting the line drive did not throw off his pitching. "It initially hurt, but I saw the adrenaline going and I didn't really feel it much after that. It's a big win. (The Cubs) have pretty much owned us. We just kept fighting and fighting." Meanwhile, Marquis allowed three runs and seven hits with two strikeouts and three walks in 5 1/3 innings. |
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