Two-run rally in 11th buoys Pirates, 7-6

March 16, 2012 10:20 pm

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By Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A sluggish showing from the starting pitcher.

Wasted opportunities galore.

A one-run deficit.

It had all the hallmarks of a fine fit for the clinching loss in the Pirates' 14th consecutive losing season.

Instead, it blossomed into the most unconventional rally of the summer, courtesy of two of the most unlikely offensive contributors. And it wound up a 7-6 upending of the Chicago Cubs on Jose Bautista's bases-loaded walk in the 11th inning last night at PNC Park.

"It's right there," manager Jim Tracy said, holding aloft the lineup card in his office. "The entire team contributed to this one. It's a great effort. I'm extremely proud of these players, and I mean that."

That beaming, as much as Tracy has done all season, was not isolated.

"We all did it together," catcher Ronny Paulino said. "And you can see this happening for two months now. We believe. When were down by three, four runs early on, we thought we could win. And, when we were down in the 11th, it was the same thing."

Chicago leaped ahead, 6-5, in the 11th on Derrek Lee's RBI single off Matt Capps, capitalizing on Damaso Marte's leadoff walk.

Cubs closer Ryan Dempster put down his first batter in the bottom half of the 11th, but Humberto Cota ignited the rally. Yes, the third-string catcher with a .181 average who had taken one at-bat in the previous eight games.

His high bouncer to third base momentarily fooled Aramis Ramirez, and the ball skipped off his glove into foul territory. Cota rounded first and, despite orders from first base John Shelby to continue to second, stopped.

"I don't know why," Cota said. "I got all crossed up."

Just Cota's luck: He was booed by the crowd of 14,618 even after a rare hit.

Tracy sent pitcher Ian Snell, a four-sport star in high school, to pinch-run. And, when Jose Castillo singled to center, Snell aggressively took third base.

Had Snell, despite being a pitcher, read the scouting reports on Chicago center fielder Juan Pierre's weak arm?

"No, man," Snell replied, with a grin. "I just saw everybody else running, so I did the same."

It was then that Dempster should have escaped the mess. Joe Randa bounced a double-play ball to shortstop Ronny Cedeno, who fed cleanly to second baseman Freddie Bynum, who ... had it carom off his glove and into shallow right.

Snell came across, the score was tied and the runners took second and third.

It was the third routine double-play ball the Cubs flubbed, the first two errors charged to starter Carlos Zambrano.

Chris Duffy was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Bautista took a 3-1 fastball low and away to end it.

"A great at-bat," Tracy said. "We've seen that situation more than once in this ballpark this season, and it didn't work out."

Starter Paul Maholm pitched an inefficient five innings -- 113 pitches, seven hits, three walks -- to put the Pirates behind, 4-0. And, with Zambrano taking a no-hitter into the fifth, that looked like it would be plenty for Chicago.

But the Pirates scored three times in that fifth, one on Zambrano's first error -- his throw to second sailed into center -- and the other two on RBI singles by Jeromy Burnitz and Duffy.

They got another in the sixth on Zambrano's next error -- he dropped a throw when covering first -- and it was 4-4.

"I screwed up," Zambrano said. "Those were rookie mistakes."

The teams traded runs in the seventh, the Pirates getting theirs when Rajai Davis struck his first major-league hit, a hustling double to center, and scored on Freddy Sanchez's two-out single.

"I was looking at second all the way," Davis said.

He had read the reports on Pierre's arm.

The Pirates left a man on third in the eighth, but their relievers negated that by quashing a bases-loaded rally for Chicago in the ninth. The Cubs put two on against John Grabow, and Lee's single off Salomon Torres loaded the bases. But Torres got a 6-4-3 double play out of Michael Barrett.

Torres, who leads Major League Baseball in appearances with 79, pitched a scoreless 10th, too.

"Tremendous effort by Salomon," Tracy said. "What more can you say about him?"

The Pirates are 22-21 since the All-Star break, 52-81 overall.

Peter Diana, Post-Gazette photos
Ronny Paulino congratulates Jose Castillo after he scored the winning run against the Cubs last night in the 11th inning.
Click photo for larger image.