Pirates waste leads, still win

Jack Wilson’s tie-breaking triple in the 11th inning set up a 6-5 win over the Reds.

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates blew two more late leads Tuesday night, but Jack Wilson — batting at the very bottom of the order — hit a tie-breaking triple in the 11th inning that set up a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The Pirates came into the series with a bullpen known for protecting late leads, a sterling 29-0 when they were ahead after seven innings. In Cincinnati, they’ve struggled mightily to hold on.

Wilson’s run-scoring triple off David Weathers (2-4) snapped a 4-all tie in the 11th, and Nate McLouth followed with a run-scoring single that gave the Pirates just enough. For the second day in a row, Wilson batted at the bottom of the order as part of an experiment — Pittsburgh’s starting pitchers batted eighth — and went 3-for-5.

Now, the Pirates need to fix problems with their closer.

Struggling Matt Capps (2-3) got the victory despite blowing a one-run lead in the 10th, when the Reds tied it on Brandon Phillips’ single. Capps has blown save chances in the first two games of the series. He gave up Ken Griffey Jr.’s two-run, game-ending homer in the opener.

Since converting his first 15 save chances, Capps has blown five of his last seven opportunities.

Romulo Sanchez gave up Jerry Hairston Jr.’s run-scoring single in the 11th before retiring Corey Patterson on a fly ball with two runners aboard to end the game and get his first career save.

Pirates starter Zach Duke gave up one run in five-plus innings, leaving him in position to get his first road win since May 27 last year in Cincinnati. With the bullpen’s meltdown, the left-hander now has failed to win his last 12 starts on the road.

Phillips tied it at 3 with a two-run homer in the eighth off Damaso Marte. Griffey started that rally with a double, and Phillips reached for a pitch below the knees and sent it into the left-field stands, his first homer in 59 at-bats.

The Pirates went up 4-3 on Jason Michaels’ RBI double in the 10th off Jared Burton. Capps couldn’t hold the lead, but Wilson’s pivotal triple eluded a diving Griffey in right field and helped the Pirates improve to 9-3 in extra innings.

Jose Bautista and Adam LaRoche had run-scoring doubles off Reds starter Edinson Volquez, who gave up three runs and seven hits in 51‚Ñ3 innings. His earned run average, which led the NL coming into the game, rose from 2.08 to 2.24.