Dodgers waste lead, then rally past sliding Bucs

The Pirates have lost six straight and are an NL-worst 4-10 at home.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Olmedo Saenz was the only position player left for either team when Los Angeles manager Jim Tracy finally called on him to pinch-hit in the 14th inning.
Turns out he was worth the wait on a day the Dodgers nearly wasted a five-run lead.
Saenz hit a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the 14th and the Dodgers overcame a wild eighth inning in which their bullpen walked in four runs to rally past the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7 on Sunday.
Saenz was only 2-for-11 as a pinch-hitter until hitting John Grabow's 2-0 pitch into the left-field seats, a batter after Jose Hernandez's leadoff walk. It was Saenz's first homer since he hit six for Oakland in 2002.
Clutch hitter
"He is among a rare breed who can have minimal number of at-bats, yet still walk up there and give you a quality at-bat," Tracy said. "That's why this man is on the ballclub."
With a runner on second and one out, Saenz wanted only to put the ball in play.
"I was looking for a pitch I could get a base hit on so we can get ahead," Saenz said. "It got to 2-0 and I got a good pitch to hit and I let it go."
Brian Falkenborg (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in only his third Dodgers appearance for his first career victory.
Grabow (0-1) took his first major league loss as the Pirates lost their sixth in a row. They also have lost nine of 11 at home, where they are an NL-worst 4-10.
The Dodgers improved the NL's best record to 20-10 by winning their fourth in a row and seventh in nine games. But had they lost -- and they came close -- Tracy no doubt would've been second-guessed for not using Eric Gagne during Pittsburgh's five-run eighth.
"With a 7-2 lead, I wasn't going to warm Eric Gagne up in the eighth inning -- not on May 9," Tracy said. "No, he wasn't part of that eighth."
Gagne wouldn't say if he was unhappy at not being one of four Dodgers relievers to pitch in the eighth, but said, "I'm always ready to go. I was available."
Bullpen blow-up
Odalis Perez was cruising with a 7-2 lead when he was lifted after throwing 91 pitches in seven innings, only to watch the bullpen walk five consecutive batters.
Jose Lima quickly got the first two batters, but Jason Bay and Craig Wilson singled ahead of walks to Rob Mackowiak and Chris Stynes. Darren Dreifort replaced Lima and walked Bobby Hill, and Tom Martin walked Tike Redman and Abraham Nunez to force in two more runs and make it 7-6.
Jason Kendall stopped the run of five consecutive walks with a tying infield single off Duaner Sanchez. The Dodgers didn't get out of the inning until Redman, trying to get a big lead if Jack Wilson decided to put down a surprise two-out bunt, was picked off third by catcher Paul Lo Duca.
Remarkably, the Pirates hadn't drawn a walk in 25 innings until getting the five in a row. They began the game with a major league-low 63 walks.
"You don't expect [that] at 7-2 with two outs and nobody on in the eighth ... you rarely see that type of stuff happen with this bullpen," Tracy said.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.