Recap: Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis
Sports Network | September 13, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Brandon Moss doubled home the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning, as the Pittsburgh Pirates downed the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-6, in the middle installment of a three-game series at PNC Park.
Ryan Doumit finished 2-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and a run scored for Pittsburgh, which has won two straight following a six-game slide. Nyjer Morgan collected three hits and scored twice, while Adam LaRoche had two runs batted in.
Ian Snell was victimized for six runs -- five earned -- on nine hits in four innings of work. Seven relievers combined to toss eight scoreless frames and Craig Hansen (1-3) earned the win after he pitched the 12th.
Felipe Lopez clubbed a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who have dropped four in a row and find themselves five games behind Milwaukee in the NL wild card standings. The Brewers fell to Philadelphia, 7-3, earlier Saturday. Skip Schumaker scored two runs and drove in another.
Adam Wainwright turned in a lackluster performance for St. Louis. The right- hander gave up six runs on nine hits in four-plus innings of work. Chris Perez (3-3) gave up one run in 1 2/3 innings to take the loss.
The Pirates trailed 6-2, but came back to tie the game in the fifth. Morgan and Freddy Sanchez singled before Nate McLouth lined an RBI double into the right-field corner. Doumit followed with a two-run double and scored on a base hit by LaRoche.
In the 12th, LaRoche drew a two-out walk to prolong the frame and Moss followed with a deep fly ball to the gap in right-center to win the game.
The Cardinals grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. Schumaker had a leadoff double and a throwing error by Luis Cruz on a Lopez grounder put men at the corners for Albert Pujols, who bounced into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring Schumaker.
Doumit and LaRoche each hit sacrifice flies in the bottom half to give Pittsburgh the lead. St. Louis, though, answered with three runs in the second. A two-out double by Jason LaRue chased home Adam Kennedy, who doubled earlier in the frame. Schumaker, Lopez and Pujols then stroked three consecutive singles to plate two more runners.
Lopez's fifth home run of the season, a two-out blast to right, made it a 6-2 game in the fourth.
Pittsburgh has won nine of 16 matchups in the series this season...Pittsburgh's Jason Michaels was ejected in the sixth inning by home plate umpire Paul Emmel for arguing balls and strikes...Six Cardinals relievers combined to allow one run and two hits in 7 2/3 innings...Both clubs stranded nine runners.
