PNC PARK Bucs defense falters in 5-4 loss

The loss to Colorado ended a two-game winning streak.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Colorado Rockies twice turned infield errors by Pittsburgh into multirun innings to back Denny Neagle's effective pitching and hold off the Pirates 5-4 Saturday night.
With runners at the corners and two outs in the ninth, Jose Jimenez retired Aramis Ramirez on a grounder to first to end it.
Neagle (2-1), making his third start since missing most of the season with a sore elbow, won in Pittsburgh for the first time since Aug. 9, 1999, giving up two runs and six hits in six innings. He was lifted with a 5-2 lead after throwing 99 pitches.
Preston Wilson's two-run double keyed Colorado's three-run third inning against Kris Benson (5-8), who struggled again in losing for the fourth time in five decisions. Benson gave up 26 runs, 21 earned, and 33 hits in 182/3 innings in four June starts.
Poor performances
Since Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon challenged Benson to start pitching like a No. 1 starter following a 6-2 loss to Houston on May 15, Benson is 1-3 with a 7.08 ERA and has yielded 51 hits in 341/3 innings.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead into the third, but Craig Wilson -- making his first start of the season at first base -- misplayed Juan Uribe's one-out grounder to put runners on first and third with one out. Todd Helton doubled in a run, extending his hitting streak to 13 games, ahead of Preston Wilson's two-run double over the head of center fielder Kenny Lofton.
Lofton tried to make an over-the-shoulder catch as he neared the center-field wall, but the ball fell a few feet away on the warning track as both runners scored.
An inning later, Chris Stynes doubled and scored on Uribe's two-out single. After Ronnie Belliard singled, third baseman Ramirez's couldn't handle Helton's hard-hit grounder and was charged with his 16th error, scoring Uribe to make it 5-1.
Reggie Sanders led off the sixth with his 12th homer for the Pirates' second run against Neagle, who was 0-1 with a 7.04 ERA in two previous starts at PNC Park.
After Neagle was lifted, the Pirates jumped on reliever Javier Lopez for three straight hits in the seventh. Brian Giles doubled in a run and Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly before reliever Justin Speier got out of the inning.
COLORADOPITTSBURGH
abrhbiabrhbi
Uribe ss5211Lofton cf5130
Blliard 2b5010Kendall c4110
Helton 1b5111BGiles lf5131
PrWlsn cf5022ARmrz 3b4011
LWalkr rf2000RSndrs rf4122
Payton lf4000CWilsn 1b2000
Speier p0000Rivera 1b1000
JJmnez p0000JWilsn ss4000
Stynes 3b3110Rboulet 2b4010
CJhson c2110Benson p2000
Neagle p2000Mdows p0000
Lopez p0000Hyzdu ph1000
MaSwy lf0000Tvarez p0000
Petrick lf0000Beimel p0000
Stairs ph1000
Totals33574Totals374114
Colorado003200000--5
Pittsburgh100001200--4
E--ARamirez (16), CWilson (3). LOB--Colorado 9, Pittsburgh 9. 2B--Helton (28), PrWilson (27), Stynes (16), BGiles (14), Reboulet (4). HR--RSanders (12). CS--PrWilson (5). S--CJohnson, Neagle. SF--ARamirez.
IPHRERBBSO
Colorado
Neagle W,2-1662215
Lopez1-332200
Speier1 2-300001
JJimenez S,19120000
Pittsburgh
Benson L,5-8565143
Meadows210002
Tavarez100020
Beimel100000
HBP--by Neagle (Kendall). WP--Benson 2. Umpires--Home, Andy Fletcher; First, Joe Brinkman; Second, Mike Fichter; Third, Derryl Cousins. T--2:49. A--25,083.