Keith Srakocic, Associated Press Jim Tracy welcomes Jeromy Burnitz back to the dugout after he scored in the Pirates' five-run first. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: Pirates Notebook: Teammates offer support for Duffy Draft flashback: So much promise from so few Smizik: It just wasn't a Bonds market, despite heavy hitting from ESPN Collier: Pirates buck tradition by keeping 5-man rotation intact this long Game Statistics Provided by Forecaster Pirates vs. Padres box score Game play-by-play

Mike Gonzalez displayed a firm realization that his save was not the smoothest of his fledgling career as a closer.

Nor the prettiest.

But, if there existed the tiniest trace of dissatisfaction with his work, it apparently was erased when he and the Pirates escaped a nail-biting ninth inning to fend off the San Diego Padres, 6-4, last night at PNC Park.

"I'm not worried about how the job gets done," he said afterward, smiling. "I just want to get it done."

Gonzalez needed a break or a bounce, and he would get one of each.

The Padres opened the inning down three runs, but Khalil Greene lashed Gonzalez's first pitch off the wall in left-center for a double, then took third on Vinny Castilla's single to left.

The uh-oh factor was elevated when Josh Barfield's sacrifice fly to deep center brought in one run, and Josh Bard walked to put men on first and second with one out.

Up stepped the speedy Dave Roberts, putting Gonzalez and the infield defense on alert.

"He's so fast," second baseman Jose Castillo said. "You have to make all your plays quick."

Here was Gonzalez's break.

His 0-1 curveball was too much for Roberts, who bounced to shortstop Jack Wilson for what appeared to be a routine 6-4-3 double play that would end the game.

Except that Castillo, rushing because of Roberts, threw well out of the reach of first baseman Sean Casey.

"Just a bad throw," Castillo said.

Meanwhile, Castilla had slowed on the basepaths between second and third, then decided to take off for home when he spotted the errant throw. Even though his run only would pull the Padres within one.

"I see when he throws it away," Castilla said in a hushed tone. "My first instinct is to go."

Next came the bounce.

The ball ricocheted off the green padding below the fence that separates the fans from the field, right back to Casey. He barehanded it, looked toward the plate as he heard the roar of the 30,639 accompanying Castilla's sprint for home, and fired a one-hop throw to catcher Ronny Paulino.

"It was a big-time carom," Casey said. "I just wanted to get the ball to Ronny as quickly as possible, and he made a great play."

		TODAY'S GAME Game: Pirates (Santos 3-5) vs. Padres (Young 4-3), 1:35 p.m. TV/radio: FSN Pittsburgh/KDKA-AM (1020).

Paulino used his left leg to block Castilla as he and the ball arrived simultaneously. Paulino scooped up the throw and tagged in almost the same motion.

"Bang-bang play," Paulino said. "But I'm always at the top of the plate there and, if he's going to score, he's going to have to go through me."

The out call came, and the fireworks went off.

Manager Jim Tracy declined comment when asked if he had been surprised that Castilla tried for home, but he praised each end of the decisive defensive play.

"Casey showed great presence of mind to look up," Tracy said. "And I liked the job our catcher did blocking the plate."

With that, the Pirates raised their record on this most uplifting of homestands to 7-2 and have a chance to take their third consecutive series by beating San Diego again today.

Greene's bases-clearing, two-out double in the first brought three quick runs off Zach Duke, but Duke and the Pirates answered immediately.

The Pirates sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom half against San Diego rookie Mike Thompson, and six of them singled to produce five runs, all of the scoring coming after two outs. Even Duke lent a hand with an RBI single through the middle for the fifth run.

"We've been swinging the bats great," Duke said. "I had no doubt in my mind we'd get those three runs back."

Duke, as has become his trait, overcame his sluggish start and held the Padres scoreless on one hit for the rest of his seven-inning outing. But he acknowledged being bugged by a trend in which he has allowed the opponent to score in the first inning in seven of his 11 starts. More peculiar, opponents are batting .319 off him the first time through the order, then tail off to .278 the second time and .204 the third time.

Tracy described the issue as one of "strategy and not mechanics," and Duke concurred.

"They're hitting fastballs, and I've been throwing a lot of fastballs in first innings," he said. "I've got to figure out what hitters' approaches are a little quicker."

Duke's second victory in as many starts raised his record to 4-6 and lowered his rotation-best ERA to 4.23.

For the second consecutive night, the start of the game was delayed by rain, this one for an hour and 36 minutes.