Ike Davis’ pinch-hit single gave the Pirates a 3-2 walk-off victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday at PNC Park.
Neil Walker and pinch-hitter Gregory Polanco, who was initially given the day off, singled to start the bottom of the ninth off starter Wade Miley. Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson replaced Miley with Addison Reed.
Starling Marte hit a two-run double off the center-field wall. Polanco slid in just ahead of the throw, which bounced away, allowing Marte to take third base. Reed intentionally walked Andrew McCutchen, and Davis pinch-hit for Gaby Sanchez
Davis hit a broken-bat single to left field to score Marte and give the Pirates the win.
Miley pitched 42/3 perfect innings to start Tuesday’s game before giving up a hit to Mercer. Mercer dribbled a slow roller down the third-base line with two outs in the fifth. Miley’s throw bounced away. Mercer was awarded a base hit and advanced to second on the throwing error.
Miley, who had struck out Sanchez and Russell Martin looking for the first two outs of the inning, went right back to work. He got Pedro Alvarez swinging at a slider to end the inning.
Miley worked two more perfect innings, striking out the side in the seventh, until Russell Martin singled up the middle to start the eighth. Martin would find himself caught stealing second to end the inning.
Miley’s outing initially overshadowed the start the Pirates received from Jeff Locke, who navigated through numerous baserunners to allow only two runs in eight innings. After Locke put 11 men on base through the first five innings, he retired the side in order in each of his final three.
Locke allowed two singles in each of the first two innings and put a runner in scoring position each time, but stranded all four runners. He struck out Miguel Montero swinging at a changeup, then got Aaron Hill to ground out, in the first inning. A lineout, sacrifice bunt and pop-out ended the threat in the second.
Locke allowed Paul Goldschmidt to reach base for the third time with a two-out single in the fifth. Locke then had Goldschmidt, who had taken off for second, caught on the bases, but Gaby Sanchez’s errant throw let Goldschmidt reach second.
Miguel Montero singled to right to score Goldschmidt, just ahead of Josh Harrison’s throw. Aaron Hill’s bloop single to shallow right scored Montero, and the Diamondbacks took a 2-0 lead.
The Diamondbacks entered the game with the worst winning percentage in Major League Baseball. They had a major league-high nine rookies on their active roster, and three of them – center fielder Ender Inciarte, left fielder David Peralta and shortstop Nick Ahmed – started Tuesday night. Only the Colorado Rockies, who play their home games in offense-friendly Coors Field, had a worse ERA than Arizona.
First Published: March 24, 2016, 5:08 p.m.
