PIRATES Astros rally for 10th straight

Houston has outscored the opposition 57-17 in the eighth and ninth innings.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't won in their final at-bat all season. They might want to watch how the Houston Astros do it.
The Astros beat the Pirates for the 10th straight time, 6-3 on Tuesday, the second consecutive night a big Houston ninth inning proved pivotal.
This time, Richard Hidalgo's three-run double with two outs off Pirates closer Mike Williams decided it.
Somehow, the Astros often get it done in the late innings, as evidenced by their 57-17 scoring edge in the eighth and ninth.
Astros bullpen tough
One of baseball's best bullpens has something to do with that. Houston relievers pitched three scoreless innings Tuesday and now have 14 of the Astros' 21 victories. But Hidalgo said there's more to it than that.
"We've got a good offense here, and we keep it together in the seventh, eighth and ninth," he said.
Or just about the time the Pirates often start falling apart; they and the Angels are the only major league teams that haven't won in their final at-bat.
The Pirates lost their 10th in 11 games, including six straight to the Astros in the last nine days. They've nine of their last 10 at home, where Williams has allowed all 11 runs he has yielded this season.
"I think it's all come down to us trying too hard," Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Suppan said. "I think we just have to find a way to relax and just let it happen. When you keep losing, it's only natural to put pressure on yourself."
Williams struggled in ninth
Williams (0-2) got the first two batters in the ninth, but walked Jeff Bagwell on a full-count pitch the Pirates thought was strike three. Jeff Kent singled to the opposite field in right.
Williams walked Lance Berkman on four pitches before Hidalgo lofted a fly ball to deep right on a 2-2 pitch.
Rob Mackowiak, who entered the game in a double switch to start the inning, leaped for the ball but couldn't make the catch as all three runners scored.
"As soon as I hit it, I thought, 'Is he going to catch the ball?' " said Hidalgo, who has 21 RBIs since April 16. "When he jumped, I said, 'Oh, no, no, no.' "
Or just about the same thing Mackowiak was saying.
"The ball kind of took off on me at the end, I'm not sure if it hit my glove or not," Mackowiak said. "I don't know what happened after I hit the wall. I gave it my best try ... but it seems like everything we're doing now goes wrong. If we're winning, I probably come up with that ball."
It was a play remarkably similar to that in a 4-3 Pittsburgh loss to the Giants on April 23, when Mackowiak failed to make a leaping catch of Jose Cruz Jr.'s long fly to left. That ball bounced off the top of the wall and into the stands for a tying three-run homer.
Williams refused to fault Mackowiak, saying, "He made a good try, but he just didn't get to it."
Just as the Pirates couldn't get to the Houston bullpen that has claimed the Astros' last six victories. Houston relievers have pitched an NL-leading 1492/3 innings.
Munro gets win
Pete Munro (3-1) pitched a scoreless eighth to win for the second time in three days, getting pinch-hitter Matt Stairs to pop up with two on and two outs. Billy Wagner worked the ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances, securing manager Jimy Williams' 800th career victory.
"It means I'm still breathing," he said.
The Pirates couldn't hold leads of 2-0 and 3-1 as Jose Vizcaino drove in three runs with a single and a two-run double. He is 9-for-10 against Suppan, who gave up three runs and nine hits in seven innings.