PIRATES Despite shaky ninth, Lincoln gets 1st save

The Bucs' new closer secured the 6-3 win over Milwaukee.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Given reliever Mike Williams' inconsistency, it wasn't surprising a scoreboard announcement detailing his trade to Philadelphia drew cheers early in the Brewers-Pirates game.
By the ninth inning Sunday, it was looking as if the trade might cost the Pirates a seemingly sure victory.
With the two runners on, none out and the Pirates clinging to a 6-3 lead, this didn't look to be the easiest way for Mike Lincoln to get his first career save.
"People don't know how tough it is to get the final three outs," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said.
At least on this day, it wasn't. Lincoln quickly got of the jam reliever Scott Sauerbeck created for him, getting Keith Ginter to ground into a double play on the first pitch he threw and Geoff Jenkins to fly out to left.
As left fielder Brian Giles ran in with the ball, Lincoln made sure he got it as a souvenir of the 6-3 victory and his first save.
"I've got it right in my glove," Lincoln said.
Back in the groove
A reliable setup reliever last season, Lincoln missed the first two months of this season after slipping on a golf ball during spring training, injuring his right shoulder.
Now that he's healthy, Lincoln figures to get more save opportunities, even though manager Lloyd McClendon refused to call him the top candidate to replace Williams.
"I'd love to be a closer," said Lincoln, who has a 1.86 ERA. "I'd love to start. It doesn't matter, I just want an opportunity to pitch. Getting the first one was fun. I had an adrenaline rush when I came in."
No doubt Pirates starter Kip Wells (4-4) did, too, after winning at PNC Park for the first time since beating Montreal on June 26, 2002.
He was 0-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 14 starts at home since then, despite an 1.75 ERA in seven home starts this season.
"I knew about it, but it wasn't something that affected me," Wells said. "I felt like I've had a lot of games where I made quality starts and pitched deep into the game and it just hasn't worked out for me. The fact I hadn't won was kind of a coincidence."
Shaky bullpen
Pirates relievers have blown six leads for Wells this season, and they threatened to again.
Julian Tavarez gave up Richie Sexson's two-run triple in the eighth, and Sauerbeck allowed the only two batters he faced to reach base to start the ninth.
But Wells said he wasn't worried, perhaps because he's seldom left a game with a lead as large as the 6-1 margin he had Sunday. He was lifted with a career-high nine strikeouts after allowing only an unearned run in seven innings.
Before the game, Wells didn't know what to expect.
"It was kind of a sullen mood in here ... it's unfortunate that Mike Williams got traded, because he's a good guy," Wells said.
If the trade had any impact on the Pirates' offense, though, it didn't show.
Aramis Ramirez, playing despite a badly swollen and bruised left ankle, homered and drove in two runs.
Jason Kendall ran his hitting streak to 22 games with a two-run single in a four-run second against Matt Ford (0-3).
And Wells helped himself by getting two hits, boosting his average to .225, and scoring twice.
Ford gave up Reggie Sanders' 16th homer to start the inning then, after Jack Wilson hit a line drive up the middle that the pitcher caught in front of his face, gave up three more runs with two outs.
"He sure pitched different after that," manager Ned Yost said, referring to the line drive. "He got a little defensive after that."
The left-hander gave up five runs -- four earned -- in 21/3 innings, and hasn't lasted longer than 41/3 innings in his four starts. Yost may decide Monday whether Ford will get another start.
Notes
Kendall's streak is the Pirates' third of 22 games or longer this season. Kenny Lofton had a 26-game streak and Ramirez had a 22-game streak.
Sanders is 3-for-4 with two homers against Ford.
Ramirez had seven hits in the final two games of the four-game series despite going 0-for-2 Saturday.
The teams split the series.