Howard homers for Phils in 10th

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan Howard hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning after Philadelphia’s bullpen blew yet another lead and the division-leading Phillies bounced back from one of their toughest losses all season to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 on Wednesday night.

The Phillies, winning their 13th in 16 games, led 1-0 going into the ninth but the Pirates tied it on their first pinch-hit homer of the season, by Brandon Moss against Ryan Madson. Philadelphia didn’t use closer Brad Lidge after he surrendered rookie Andrew McCutchen’s game-ending, two-run homer that finished off the Pirates’ 6-4 comeback victory on Tuesday.

Madson’s fifth blown save in nine opportunities cost Cole Hamels his first victory since July 28 after the left-hander pitched shutout ball for the first time in 21‚Ñ2 months, repeatedly working out of trouble while throwing 123 pitches over eight innings.

Despite allowing the homer, Madson (5-4) pitched the final two innings for the victory.

The Pirates’ bullpen has its own problems, and the Phillies took advantage in the 10th. Reliever Steven Jackson (2-3) walked Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino singled before left-hander Phil Dumatrait, pitching for only the third time since sitting out more than a year following shoulder surgery, was brought in to face the left handed-hitting Howard.

Howard promptly hit Dumatrait’s first pitch into the right-field seats for his 35th homer and the Phillies’ league-leading 180th. Long before, Chase Utley gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead with his 27th homer, a two-out drive in the first that was their only run in seven innings against Pirates left-hander Paul Maholm.

Maholm, coming off his first win in seven weeks, was sharper than Hamels most of the game except for Utley’s homer on an 0-1 pitch.

Hamels was 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in August, but repeatedly shut down Pirates threats in his best start since shutting out the Dodgers on five hits on June 4.

Hamels struck out Maholm to leave the bases full in the fourth, then retired Delwyn Young and Garrett Jones in succession to end the seventh after pinch-hitter Ronny Cedeno doubled and McCutchen walked.

The Pirates, losing for only the second time in eight games, left nine on base and were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Maholm hasn’t won successive starts since winning three in a row from April 11-22.