Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Zach Duke is 5-6, but the numbers don't tell the whole story.

Jose Castillo drove in four runs and Zach Duke added three RBIs, helping himself and the Pirates to a back-and-forth, 9-7 victory against St. Louis last night at PNC Park.

Duke wobbled through five innings, yielding 10 hits and five runs but wound up with his fifth win.

"He was a battler, that's what he was," manager Jim Tracy said. "I was glad to see him get the win. He's suffered some tough losses when he's pitched well."

Last night, Duke endured a tough third inning when he pitched well.

"Some very strange things took place in the third inning," Tracy said.

Armed with a 3-1 lead, Duke walked pitcher Sidney Ponson to begin the third. Ponson was caught stealing on a 1-1 pitch that was supposed to be a hit-and-run. David Eckstein, however, couldn't make contact with the pitch in the dirt.

	Today Matchup: Pirates (Victor Santos 4-6) vs. Cardinals (Mark Mulder 5-4), 12:35 p.m. Where: PNC Park Radio:KDKA-AM (1020) and Pirates Radio Network. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Deal is close for top draft pick Pirates support baseball complex Collier: Duke's sting still lurks Game Statistics Provided by Forecaster Pirates vs. Cardinals box score Game play-by-play

That was the only bit of luck Duke had in the inning.

Eckstein singled to left. So Taguchi's potential double-play ball slithered past second base and into center field, sending Eckstein to third. Scott Rolen's pop fly dropped between Jason Bay and Jack Wilson for an RBI single.

Juan Encarnacion's bouncer went over Freddy Sanchez and into left field for a run-scoring double. One out later, Luna singled in Encarnacion, and the Cardinals led, 5-3, before Duke retired Yadier Molina on a bouncer to third.

"Frustrating," Duke said. "Very, very frustrating. I was making some good pitches, and they kept getting the bat on the ball and balls kept finding holes.

"I figured it had to end at some point. My job was to keep making my pitches."

After that thorny inning?

"Offensively, we got busy," Tracy said.

The Pirates regained the lead with three runs in the fourth, and again Duke, who had a two-run single in the second, was an offensive star.

Singles by Craig Wilson and Sanchez put runners on first and second with no outs.

"I can't really put into words how reliable this guy is," Tracy said of Sanchez, who is hitting .462 in the sixth spot. "He's a terrific offensive player. He's not a home run hitter and he's not going to be asked to be one here.

"But he's an ideal sixth hitter. He does his fair share of damage cleaning up what the third, fourth and fifth hitters don't do. He's a very unselfish player. He's a headsy player. He's a thinking man's player. He's a winning player."

Castillo, no slouch himself in the seventh spot, drove a double down the left-field line, scoring Wilson. Ronny Paulino popped weakly to first on a 3-2 pitch, but Duke singled to center on a 2-2 pitch. That got Sanchez home and knocked Ponson out of the game.

Brad Thompson relieved. Nate McLouth struck out, but Jack Wilson ended an 0-for-15 slide with a run-scoring single into right, capping the spree.

The Pirates went right back at it in the fifth. Craig Wilson had a one-out double to left. Sanchez walked on a 3-2 pitch. Castillo drove the next pitch into the left-field seats. Castillo's 10th home run gave him 25 RBIs in his past 17 games.

The game now belonged to the bullpen. Salomon Torres shrugged off a leadoff double by Molina in the sixth. Torres walked Taguchi to begin the seventh. Taguchi advanced to second on Rolen's hit-and-run ground ball to shortstop. Torres struck out Encarnacion, and Tracy summoned left-hander Damaso Marte to face Jim Edmonds, who struck out. Roberto Hernandez allowed a leadoff infield hit to the right of the mound -- the pitcher couldn't field Luna's tap cleanly on the run -- but the Pirates caught a break.

With Luna running, Molina popped to Castillo. Luna, at second base when Castillo caught the ball, couldn't quite beat Castillo's throw to first which completed a double play. Hernandez then retired Aaron Miles on a bouncer to third.

Tracy entrusted the four-run lead to rookie Matt Capps in the ninth, leaving closer Mike Gonzalez in the bullpen in a non-save situation. Capps got the first two outs in the ninth, then walked Taguchi. Rolen, hitting .426 with 25 RBIs in his past 25 games, hammered a 3-1 pitch into the left-center field seats, making it 9-7.

In came Gonzalez in what was now a save situation. The left-hander needed only three pitches to set down Encarnacion on a comebacker to pocket his 12th save in 12 opportunities.

Peter Diana, Post-Gazette DESPERATE MEASURES: Actor James Denton, one of the stars of "Desperate Housewives," jokes with Nate McLouth before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch last night at PNC Park.