Jeff Gildden, Associated Press Pirates second baseman Jose Castillo follows through on a double-play throw yesterday against the Indians with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Castillo forced the sliding Casey Blake. Click photo for larger image. Today Matchup: Pirates (Oliver Perez 2-5) vs. Diamondbacks (Orlando Hernandez 2-4), 9:40 p.m. Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona. TV/Radio: FSN Pittsburgh/KDKA-AM (1020) and Pirates Radio Network. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Littlefield hopes Duffy returns soon Pirates Scouting Report: Arizona Diamondbacks Collier: Pujols is shot in the arm for baseball Game Statistics Provided by Forecaster Pirates vs. Indians box score Game play-by-play

CLEVELAND -- Jim Tracy's face -- the straight-ahead stare, the tight lips -- showed a lot about the Pirates' manager's demeanor in the immediate aftermath of yet another narrow loss by his team yesterday.

It was another winnable game that wound up being a definite defeat.

For the record, Cleveland beat the Pirates, 3-2, on Grady Sizemore's 10th-inning single to deep right field.

In truth?

The Pirates had a whole lot more to do with not winning this game than the Indians did with winning it.

"A very difficult game to lose," Tracy said, "but we certainly didn't do ourselves any favors, that's for sure."

To wit ...

The Indians scored their first run after Jason Michaels' first-inning pop fly fell for a double among three Pirates in short right-center field.

The Indians scored each of their final two runs with two outs and nobody on.

The Pirates had a runner on second base with no outs in the eighth and the ninth innings and didn't score.

"We could very easily have won that game," Tracy said.

Well, not much comes easily for these Pirates.

They are, after all, 14-30. And 4-19 on the road. And 2-13 in day games. And 4-12 in one-run games. And 2-13 in their past 15 interleague road games.

Some of that ineptitude in the final category can be attributed to the unproductiveness of their designated hitters.

The Pirates first used a designated hitter June 16, 1997, at Minnesota. Mark Smith hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat, and it has been pretty much downhill for the Pirates' DH since.

Smith hit three home runs as the Pirates' DH. Nobody else has more than one.

Entering games yesterday, Pirates designated hitters ranked seventh all-time among National League teams with a DH career batting average of .260. They were tied for eighth with nine home runs. And tied for 13th with 31 RBIs.

Yesterday, the Pirates' DH, Ryan Doumit, actually bunted, but we'll get to that.

The Pirates got a serviceable start from Paul Maholm, who left with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth. Matt Capps needed just one pitch to escape that peril and protect a 2-1 Pirates lead.

Capps got Aaron Boone to bounce to Jack Wilson, who began a double play.

The Pirates scored their two runs in the top of the sixth after Nate McLouth's leadoff bunt hit. McLouth stole second, moved to third on Jack Wilson's fly to right and scored on a double by Freddy Sanchez, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

After Jason Bay bounced to the mound, Sanchez scored on a broken-bat single to center by Jeromy Burnitz on a 1-2 pitch.

The Indians tied the score in the seventh. Capps struck out the first two batters but yielded a single to left by Jason Michaels and a double to right by Jhonny Peralta.

The Pirates had their first late-inning opportunity to win in the eighth after McLouth, batting .375 in his past 40 at-bats, lined a leadoff double into the right-field corner.

The Pirates could have used some of that sixth-inning "small ball" efficiency here, but it wasn't to be.

Jack Wilson, called on to sacrifice, popped up bunting on the first pitch. Catcher Victor Martinez made a diving catch sprawling across the first-base line.

McLouth didn't advance.

Sanchez flied to right, deep enough to have scored McLouth had he been at third base. As it was, McLouth advanced to third base.

"I've got nothing for you guys," Wilson said of that bunt situation. "It's self-explanatory."

Bay struck out to end the threat, meaning the Pirates had failed to score for the sixth time after their past 11 leadoff doubles.

Tracy wanted Wilson to move McLouth because Sanchez is a great contact hitter.

"Absolutely," Tracy said. "Absolutely."

The Pirates had another great chance to go ahead in the ninth after Burnitz opened with a single into left-center field.

Doumit bunted in front of the plate, but Martinez's throw to second was late, and Doumit beat the relay to first.

Perfect situation -- runners on first and second, no outs.

Tracy sent up Jose Hernandez to bat for Craig Wilson. Hernandez lifetime was 3 for 7 with two home runs against Bob Wickman, but Tracy ordered Hernandez to bunt.

"Numerically, I was very well aware of [Hernandez's success against Wickman]," Tracy said. "But right now he's not swinging the bat that makes you think he's going to hit. I thought it was very, very important to get the runner to third. That puts you in a wonderful position and means a lot of decision-making on the other side of the field.

"If Hernandez swings away and hits into a double play, you kick yourself."

On a 2-0 pitch, Hernandez, in a 3-for-24 slide as he stepped in, bunted the ball firmly just to the right of the mound. First baseman Ben Broussard quickly fielded the ball and forced Burnitz at third. Burnitz pulled up lame after reaching the base but remained in the game defensively.

The inning quickly ended when Jose Castillo bounced into a double play.

In the 10th, the Indians scored after Mike Gonzalez retired the first two batters.

Aaron Boone singled, moved to third on Ronnie Belliard's double and scored on Sizemore's line drive on a 3-2 pitch that short-hopped the right-field wall.