Recap: San Diego vs. Pittsburgh
Sports Network | September 27, 2008
San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Ryan Doumit clubbed a three-run homer, as the Pittsburgh Pirates downed the San Diego Padres, 6-3, in the opener of a three- game series at PETCO Park.
Freddy Sanchez had three hits, including a solo homer, and scored twice for the Pirates, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Ian Snell (7-12) gave up one hit -- a solo home run to Nick Hundley -- and struck out five in five innings of work.
Will Venable went 2-for-4 and scored a run for the Padres, who have dropped three of their last four contests. Josh Geer allowed one run on three hits over five innings before leaving the game with tightness in his right elbow. Michael Ekstrom (0-2) absorbed the loss after he surrendered the home run to Doumit.
Sanchez's one-out blast in the first put the Pirates on the board, and San Diego tied the game in the fifth on Hundley's two-out smash. Pittsburgh, though, regained the lead in the sixth via the long ball.
Ekstrom took over on the mound for San Diego and promptly served up consecutive singles to Nate McLouth and Sanchez to begin the inning before Doumit clobbered an offering over the wall in right for a 4-1 Pirates lead.
The Padres got two of the runs back in the home sixth off Sean Burnett. Pinch- hitter Chip Ambres led off with a single and Venable reached on an infield single before Luis Rodriguez lined an RBI base hit off the pitcher into center field. Two batters later, Adrian Gonzalez bounced into a 3-6-4 double play to plate Venable.
After John Grabow worked out a bases-loaded jam in the eighth to preserve the one-run lead, the Pirates tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth with the help of an error by Brian Giles. With runners on first and second and two gone, McLouth lofted a seemingly harmless fly ball to right that Giles inexplicably dropped, allowing Luis Cruz and Brian Bixler to come home.
Matt Capps retired the Padres in order in the bottom half to notch his 21st save.
The Pirates had lost seven straight games in San Diego and nine in a row on the road overall...Both teams left five men on base.
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