Thursday, June 16, 2011
Associated Press
houston
Pinch-hitter Xavier Paul doubled, then stayed in the game and hit a two-run homer and single Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates moved over .500 with a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros.
At 34-33, this is the first time the Pirates have been over the break-even point so late in a season since Aug. 15, 1999, when they were 59-58.
Neil Walker tripled and drove in three runs for the Pirates.
Paul batted for starter Charlie Morton (7-3) in the sixth and doubled to start a three-run burst that put Pittsburgh ahead 5-3. Paul went to play right and connected the next inning for his first home run of the season and second of his career.
Paul singled in the ninth inning to finish 3 for 3 in a game that took 3 hours, 47 minutes. The teams combined for 26 hits and left 27 on base.
Michael Bourn fought through an illness to finish with three hits, an RBI and two stolen bases for the Astros, who have dropped 10 of 12.
Morton allowed eight hits and three runs in five innings. Daniel McCutchen yielded three hits in three scoreless innings.
Reliever Enerio Del Rosario (0-1) allowed the three runs in the sixth.
Pinch-hitter Garrett Jones singled home Paul and made it 3-all. Andrew McCutchen hit a grounder that first baseman Brett Wallace badly overthrew to the plate, letting the go-ahead run score, and Walker had a sacrifice fly.
Bourn was plunked with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Hunter Pence singled and they pulled a double steal with two outs. A groundout by Carlos Lee ended the scoring threat.
The Astros got a pair of singles with two outs in the eighth inning, but Pence grounded into a force out to end the inning.
Bourn’s RBI single tied it at 2 in the fourth and later stole third. He was ill with stomach problems for most of the day and wasn’t originally in the lineup. He was inserted about 75 minutes before the game after seeing a doctor and drinking Pedialyte, a children’s hydration drink.
Houston starter J.A. Happ gave up six hits and two runs while striking out seven in five innings.