ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Jason Bay belted a pinch-hit, go-ahead
three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning as the
Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for an 11-5 victory over the St.
Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
Doug Mientkiewicz and Chris Gomez each had three hits and three
runs scored for the Pirates, who won for the eighth time in
their last 10 games.
Pittsburgh trailed, 5-4, in the top of the eighth but rallied
off St. Louis reliever Jason Isringhausen (1-5).
Mientkiewicz led off with a walk and moved to second on a single
by Ronny Paulino. The next batter, Gomez attempted a sacrifice
bunt which Isringhausen fielded and threw away down the right
field line, tying the game at 5-5.
Bay, pinch-hitting for just the fifth time since the 2004
All-Star break, then followed with the big blow, a towering
three-run blast through the drizzling rain and just over the
wall in left-center, giving the Pirates an 8-5 advantage.
"It was so high, and it just started drifting. ... I really
didn't think that one would go," Pittsburgh manager John Russell
said. "It just kept carrying. When you get a day off and you
do something like that, it's even more special."
Bay had started 39 of Pittsburgh's 40 games coming into
Thursday.
"It was unexpected but a very good day nonetheless," said Bay
after his first career pinch-hit homer. "Couldn't have picked a
better off day. Every day I don't get in, I fully anticipate
getting in at some point, so I'm ready. You never know when the
game will come to you."
It was another poor outing for Isringhausen, who was removed
from the closer's role last Saturday. The 35-year-old
righthander, who opened the season with saves in his first five
chances, has blown six of his last 12.
Isringhausen was charged with four runs - three earned - in just
one-third of an inning.
"There's no doubt Izzy wasn't good," St. Louis manager Tony La
Russa said. "Walked the leadoff hitter and then had the guy at
third and threw the ball away. He's beside himself, troubled
and mad at himself."
In his last 15 appearances, Isringhausen has allowed 18 earned
runs in 12 innings.
"I don't know what we're going to do," Isringhausen said. "I
wish I could say that I was hurt, that my arm was falling off or
that I couldn't land, but I can't do that. I'm not getting any
swings and misses, so that's saying something about my stuff.
"I feel healthy, but maybe my healthy is not good enough,"
Isringhausen said. "I'm out of answers ... out of excuses."
Raul Chavez had an RBI double and Freddy Sanchez blooped a
two-run single in the ninth for the Pirates, putting the game
out of reach.
Nate McLouth hit his 11th home run of the season in the top of
the first to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead, but the Cardinals tied
it on Rick Ankiel's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame.
After St. Louis took the lead on Yadier Molina's fielder's
choice in the third inning, the Cardinals scored three more
times in the fourth off Pittsburgh starter Ian Snell.
Snell, who allowed five runs and 11 hits in four innings, has
not won since April 12.
"I'm just trying to find my way," Snell said. "I don't
understand it. I'm trying to understand, I just can't. I'm
trying everything possible.
"I don't know what has happened this year compared to last year.
I am a little short on answers at the moment, it has been a
rough year."
Chris Duncan delivered a two-run double to right-center and Troy
Glaus had an RBI single to right three batters later, extending
St. Louis' lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth.
The Pirates responded with three runs in the top of the fifth to
cut the deficit to 5-4. Gomez had an RBI single and Jason
Michaels lined a two-run single to left in the inning.
The loss was the seventh in their last nine games for St. Louis,
which lost a three-game series at home for just the second time
in eight tries this season.
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