Sunday, September 28, 2008
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell would like to forget the season, except for the final six weeks.
Snell pitched five stellar innings before a cramp in his right calf forced him from the Pirates’ 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
Bolstered by a three-run homer by Ryan Doumit and Freddy Sanchez’s solo shot, Snell (7-12) allowed only a solo homer before his calf tightened and he had to come out of his final start of the season.
“I just wanted to finish the season strong and that’s what I did,” Snell said. “There’s no guessing about it, I finished stronger than I started.”
Snell had not allowed a hit before Nick Hundley homered with two outs in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1. The right-hander went 3-2 with a 4.26 ERA in his seven starts since Aug. 19.
“I’m not going to say I’m going to go and rebuild and think about it for this offseason,” Snell said. “I’m done thinking about that. I have to come back strong.”
Doumit’s 15th homer to right off reliever Mike Ekstrom (0-2) broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth.
Sanchez, who had three hits, homered with one out in the first off rookie Josh Geer, who also left the game after five innings with tightness in his right elbow.
Snell, who struck out five and walked one, won for the third time in four road starts.
“I left everything on the field. People can judge that performance,” he said.
“He’s been making a lot of progress, especially the second half,” Pittsburgh manager John Russell said. “He’s had some really good outings where he had good innings and one inning he didn’t. It was a good note for him to end on.”
Snell, who came into the game with a 6.48 road ERA, is 4-8 in 17 road starts.
“He’s got good stuff,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “I think today he got the ball more in the strike zone probably more than he has.”
Matt Capps, the fifth reliever, pitched the ninth inning for his 21st save in 26 chances.
The win was only the Pirates’ third in their last 16 games at San Diego, including a seven-game losing streak.