Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins, left, hits a solo home run
in front of Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit in the third
inning of the baseball game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009.
PITTSBURGH -- Andrew McCutchen made up for a defensive gaffe earlier in the ninth inning by hitting a game-ending two-run homer off closer Brad Lidge and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 on Tuesday night.
Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins, right, is greeted
by third base coach Sam Perlozzo after he hit a solo
home run on the first pitch of the game against the
Pittsburgh Pirates in the baseball game in Pittsburgh,
Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009. Rollins also hit another solo
homer in the third inning.
In a game in which both closers couldn't hold leads, the Pirates tied it against Lidge (0-6) on singles by Luis Cruz and pinch-hitter Brandon Moss, and right fielder Jayson Werth's error for misplaying Moss' hit. McCutchen then won it by hitting Lidge's pitch into the seats in center for his eighth homer.
The Phillies lost for only the second time in nine games despite two homers by Jimmy Rollins on the first two pitches he saw from Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf. Steve Pearce hit a two-run shot and Ryan Doumit added a solo drive for the Pirates against Joe Blanton.
Lidge allowed hits to all three batters he faced to blow his ninth save in 33 attempts, the most such failures in the majors. Matt Capps (3-7) won it for the Pirates despite being roughed up in the ninth for the second time in as many games against the Phillies, giving up two runs.
After Carlos Ruiz and pinch-hitter Ben Francisco doubled to tie it at 3 in the top of the ninth, Shane Victorino hit a line drive that McCutchen looked ready to run down in center. But McCutchen broke in rather than back and couldn't make the catch as the ball sailed over his head for a go-ahead triple. Capps hadn't faced the Phillies since giving up five runs and six hits in one-third inning of an 8-7 loss on July 11 in which he inherited a 7-3 lead in the ninth.
Despite McCutchen's misplay, the Pirates won their sixth in seven games since losing 12 of 13.
The Phillies, cheered on by a sizable number in the crowd of 17,049, had won 11 of 13, plus five in a row against the Pirates dating to last season. The Phillies also had won eight of 10 on the road.
Ohlendorf withstood Rollins' two leadoff home runs to pitch into the seventh inning.
Rollins got the Phillies off to a 2-0 lead, hitting Ohlendorf's fastball into the right-center seats for his 31st career leadoff homer in the first and a changeup into the right-field stands in the third -- his 17th of the season.
Ohlendorf got Rollins on a line drive to center in the fifth, but wasn't allowed to pitch to him following pinch-hitter Eric Bruntlett's one-out double in the seventh. Joel Hanrahan came on to strike out Rollins and get Victorino on a fly ball to right.
Blanton took a 2-1 lead into the sixth before walking Doumit with one out. Pearce followed one batter later by hitting his third homer, giving the Pirates their first lead at 3-2.
NOTES: Pirates SS Ronny Cedeno was a last-minute scratch as he missed a third consecutive game with a broken right pinky finger. Luis Cruz replaced him. ... OF Jose Tabata will be among seven Pirates prospects in the Arizona Fall League. He is currently at Triple-A Indianapolis. ... There appeared to be as many red-shirted Phillies fans in the lower grandstands as there were Pirates fans, and Philadelphia's rally in the ninth drew big cheers. This is Philadelphia's first visit to PNC Park since April 2008. ... The Pirates were 0 for 7 with a runner on third base in the first three innings.
