Kata’s double dooms Phillies

Pittsburgh was behind,
4-0, before scoring eight runs in the seventh and eighth.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies owned two big leads in as many games against the NL’s worst team and let them slip away both times.

Losing any time during a pennant race is difficult, but two losses like these so close together hurt more than most.

Pinch-hitter Matt Kata’s three-run double highlighted the Pirates’ second rally from a four-run deficit against the Phillies in as many days, and Freddy Sanchez hit a go-ahead RBI double during the seven-run seventh inning that carried Pittsburgh to an oft-delayed 8-4 victory Sunday.

Quick start

The Phillies, losing two of three in the series, opened a 4-0 lead on Russell Branyan’s three-run homer, Jimmy Rollins’ drive to start the game and Kyle Lohse’s shutout pitching over six innings, but the Pirates scored eight runs in the seventh and eighth.

“I feel we definitely had a chance to sweep the series,” manager Charlie Manuel said.

“We let the game slip away from us, both of them.”

Ian Snell (8-10) got his first victory since July 4 despite allowing eight hits and walking three while striking out 10 over seven innings. Snell was 0-5 in seven starts since the All-Star break.

In the last four days, the Pirates have rallied from deficits of four runs or more to win three times against the Mets and the Phillies, the NL East’s two top teams.

The Pirates came from five runs down to beat the Mets 10-7 Thursday and they trailed 4-0 and 6-2 Saturday night before defeating the Phillies 11-6.

Keep the faith

“What you have to do is keep playing the game,” Sanchez said. “Keep doing what you’re trying to do and don’t count yourself out.”

The tough losses dropped the Phillies five games behind New York in the NL East and one game behind San Diego in the wild-card race.

“Right now, you try to go home, forget what happened and right the ship,” Ryan Howard said, pointing to a 10-game homestand against the Dodgers, Padres and Mets that starts Tuesday.

The Pirates’ newfound comeback ability is the byproduct of an offense that has slumped much of the season — they have scored 121 fewer runs than Philadelphia — but leads the majors with 129 runs in August.

Pitcher’s collapse

Lohse carried a streak of 15 consecutive scoreless innings against the Pirates this season into the seventh, only to fall apart after they loaded the bases on singles by Xavier Nady and Jose Bautista and Josh Phelps’ walk. Kata, a utilityman who had only four RBIs in 30 games, made it 4-3 with a bases-clearing double to center that chased Lohse.

Nate McLouth tied it with a double off reliever J.C. Romero (0-1) and Antonio Alfonseca came in to walk Jack Wilson.

Sanchez’s double down the left-field line made it 5-4 before Adam LaRoche was intentionally walked. Nady finished off the rally with a two-run single, his second hit of the inning and fourth in two games after being out of the lineup for 21⁄2 weeks with a sore hamstring.