Late messes cost Pirates 6-5 loss, chance at .500
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Pirates catcher Chris Snyder waits on the late throw as the Padres' Ryan Ludwick slides safely in the third inning Tuesday at Petco Park.
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SAN DIEGO -- Ample precedent shows there are two relative certainties about the Pirates on those rare occasions when they venture near .500:
1. They will demean it as a goal.
2. They will fail to reach it.
Manager Clint Hurdle vocally achieved No. 1 Tuesday afternoon when, with his team having a chance to go 15-15 for the latest .500 record in any season in seven years, he boomed, "The .500 thing means absolutely zero to me!"
And No. 2 was ensured at least partly because of one dubious decision by Hurdle -- allowing struggling reliever Joe Beimel to preside over most of a blown late lead -- in the 6-5 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Rewind to a busy seventh inning ...
The Pirates were trailing, 3-2, when pinch-hitter Matt Diaz, 1 for his previous 18, drove an RBI double to deep right-center. Andrew McCutchen followed with a two-run single into center and, just like that, it was 5-3 for the visitors.
Game: Pirates vs. San Diego Padres, 6:35 p.m., Petco Park, San Diego.
TV, radio: Root Sports, WPGB-FM (104.7).
Pitching: RHP Kevin Correia (4-2, 2.90) vs. LHP Clayton Richard (1-2, 3.82).
Key matchup: Most pitchers benefit from Petco Park, but Correia's 4.46 ERA in 34 starts here for the Padres is virtually identical to his 4.48 career ERA.
Of note: The Pirates have scored 25 first-inning runs, second-most in Major League Baseball behind the New York Yankees' 27.
• Box score
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But San Diego tied in the bottom half, despite barely making a sound.
Mike Crotta, the Pirates' shakiest reliever of late, gave up infield singles to his only two batters, which Hurdle aptly described as "real bad luck."
Hurdle turned to the left-hander Beimel to face the Padres' left-handed batter, Eric Patterson, even though it was an obvious bunting situation, and even though the heart of the order coming up after Patterson was all right-handed.
Was it because Beimel had fared well Sunday in the 8-4 victory in Colorado?
"Joe's pitched in those situations before, and I felt he was the best option at the time," Hurdle said.
First Published May 4, 2011 1:02 am
