By Dejan Kovacevic | 4:13 p.m. Sunday
UPDATED 4:58 p.m.: Scott Hairston's line-drive home run in the eighth inning off John Grabow lifted San Diego past the Pirates, 3-1, this afternoon at PNC Park, giving the last-place Padres three of four for the weekend series.
The score was 1-1, and Grabow was facing his second batter when he allowed a 91-mph fastball - intended to go a bit outside - to drift up and over the heart of the plate. Hairston lined it into the left-field bleachers.
Josh Bard homered off Grabow in the eighth, launching a full-count fastball - again drifting over the middle - into the home bullpen beyond center field for perhaps the longest hit of the summer in Pittsburgh. That made it 3-1.
"If you leave 'em too much over the middle, that's what's going to happen," Grabow said. "They didn't miss 'em."
Grabow had given up just one run in his first eight outings this month.
Earlier, second baseman Freddy Sanchez and first baseman Adam LaRoche each exited because of back spasms. Sanchez was out after the first inning. He said he initially felt the spasms during pregame running, and it was aggravated when he tried in vain to beat out a ground ball in the Pirates' first at-bat. LaRoche felt a pull in the back right ribs after taking a swing in his final at-bat -- a strikeout -- in the sixth. He was removed as part of a double-switch an inning later.
Sanchez said he might return tomorrow, but LaRoche's issue might take longer. He was struggling to tie his shoes afterward.
"We'll see," LaRoche said. "I'm not thinking that far ahead."
A promising pitching matchup met expectations, with Paul Maholm and San Diego's Jake Peavy delivering identical lines of one run and four hits over seven innings. Maholm struck out nine, Peavy 10, and neither allowed more than a couple of balls to be struck with any authority.
In 11 starts since May 31, Maholm is 5-1 with a 2.75 ERA.
"Paul's been consistent, and that's the key," manager John Russell said. "His delivery is very sound, and he knows what he's doing."
"I do the exact same thing, from my bullpens to my workouts," Maholm said. "That gives me confidence, knowing I can use all four pitches, mix speeds, throw strikes. Hopefully, I can keep it going and keep giving my team a chance to win."
Even the runs each team got off the starters came on softies.
San Diego struck first in the fourth inning: After a hit batsman and single, Bard's slow roller got under Jack Wilson's standing, backhand attempt for an RBI.
In the bottom half, Nate McLouth drew a full-count walk, stole second and, after two outs, sprinted home on Adam LaRoche's just-as-slow roller up the middle.
Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to put it away, Hoffman getting his 21st save.
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Posted
Jul 27 2008, 04:13 PM
by
Dejan Kovacevic