Arizona’s big rally jars Bucs

The Diamondbacks rallied for a 9-8 victory on Carlos Quentin’s two-run single.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Carlos Quentin’s two-run single in the eighth inning finished off Arizona’s franchise record-tying comeback, and the Diamondbacks rallied from six runs down with the help of Pittsburgh’s ineffective bullpen for a 9-8 victory Saturday night.

Tony Clark’s pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh tied it for Arizona.

The Diamondbacks, averaging 2.9 runs while previously going 6-10 this month, had only two previous six-run comebacks in their 10-season history — on May 2, 2006, against the Dodgers and Sept. 15, 1998, against the Giants.

Arizona’s five relievers limited Pittsburgh to one run after starter Micah Owings left following 22⁄3 wild innings, with Doug Slaten (1-0) getting his first career victory with a scoreless seventh.

Jose Valverde finished up in the ninth, throwing only four pitches for his 15th save in 17 chances.

Mark Reynolds had three hits, including his first career homer, and Conor Jackson added a solo shot to start the five-run rally in the seventh.

Gorzelanny effective

Pirates starter Tom Gorzelanny held Arizona to two runs during another effective start. He also helped himself during the Pirates’ biggest inning of the season with a two-run single that helped them to a 7-1 lead during a six-run third.

Gorzelanny was 1-for-38 (.026) in his career — with his only hit coming in his previous start — until he grounded a single into right field during a six-run third.

Earlier in the inning, Owings walked three in a row, two forcing in runs, during his first start since May 8. He was skipped over in the rotation, and looked rusty and out of sync while walking four overall and giving up six hits.

But the Diamondbacks got going offensively when Gorzelanny was lifted. Jackson homered off John Grabow, who walked two and gave up Reynolds’ single after Pirates manager Jim Tracy brought in the seldom-used Marty McLeary to face Clark, one of the majors’ top pinch-hitters.

Clark raps ninth

Clark followed with his ninth career pinch-hit homer and second this season, a drive deep into the right-field seats for his sixth homer this season. McLeary has permitted four homers in 7 2-3 relief innings.

Matt Capps (2-2), normally the Pirates’ most effective reliever, took his second loss in their last four games. He got into immediate trouble when Stephen Drew and Jackson singled in the eighth, and Tracy chose to walk Eric Byrnes to intentionally load the bases one batter ahead of the two-run single by Quentin, who was in a 2-for-28 slump.

Jason Bay had an RBI single in the eighth against Brandon Lyon, the Pirates’ first run since the third.

Notes

Despite daylong forecasts of pleasant weather, a steady rain began falling in the early innings and picked up in the later innings. ... The five-run inning was Arizona’s biggest this season. ... Arizona INF Jason Smith, taken off the roster Saturday when INF Alberto Callaspo was reinstated from the restricted list, was a Rule 5 draft pick whose rights revert to the Chicago Cubs if he is not claimed on waivers.