SANDERS BELTS 3 HRS BUT BUCS FALL TO PADS
S.D. Builds 9-Run Lead, Hangs On
PITTSBURGH, July 29 (AP) - Reggie Sanders hit three solo home runs, but the
Pittsburgh Pirates fell behind by a huge margin early and ultimately lost to the
San Diego Padres, 11-10, at PNC Park. It was the 12th time this year, and
the sixth time in the month of July, that a major league player hit three home
runs in a game but only the second time this season that it was done in a losing
effort. Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox hit three home runs in an 8-7
defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros on June 16 at Fenway Park.
That the game was even close in the end was something of a miracle. The
Padres battered Pirates starter Jeff D'Amico early and often, building a 10-1
lead heading into the bottom of the third inning. By the the time the
fifth inning was over, however, Pittsburgh had cut the San Diego lead to 10-9
and Padres starter Oliver Perez was out of the game.
San Diego took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Mark Kotsay doubled with
one out and, one batter later, jogged home on Mark Loretta's seventh home run of
the season. The Padres then appeared to blow the game open with four runs
in the second. Rondell White singled and Sean Burroughs doubled him to
third. Miguel Ojeda's ground out to first scored White and advanced
Burroughs to third and Perez's sacrifice fly made the score 4-0. Ramon
Vazquez then singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and remained in place
when Kotsay drew a walk. Loretta then upped his RBI total for the game to
six with a double to left, plating both runners and putting the Padres on top,
6-0.
The Pirates got a single run back in the bottom of the second with Sanders'
lead-off homer, but the Padres appeared to put the game out of reach once and
for all with four more runs in the top of the third. Phil Nevin led off
with a single and took second on D'Amico's second wild pitch of the game.
White then walked and D'Amico's stint on the mound came to an end; he was
replaced by left-hander Joe Beimel. Burroughs then hit a little squibber
in front of the plate that catcher Humberto Cota mishandled for an error,
filling the bases with no outs. Ojeda lifted a sacrifice to right, to up
the lead to 7-0, and Perez struck out but Vazquez walked, reloading the
bases. Kotsay lined a single to right-center, scoring White and Burroughs
with Vazquez taking third and Loretta's infield single produced his fifth run
batted in of the game when Vazquez scored. It was now 10-1 and the game
appeared over.
But the Pirates didn't quit. Beimel hit for himself in the bottom of the
third and lined a lead-off double to left. One out later, Jeff Reboulet
singled him to third and Brian Giles made it 10-4 by lacing a home run into the
bleachers in right-center field. When Sanders followed with his second
home run of the game, the lead was down to five runs.
Pinch hitter Matt Stairs cut the deficit to 10-6 with a solo home run in the
fourth and in the fifth Pittsburgh really made a game of it, scoring three more
times. Sanders led off by reaching on an infield hit and when Craig Wilson
drew a four-pitch walk, Perez was finally done. Scott Linebrink replaced
him but he was greeted by a single to left off the bat of Jose Hernandez,
scoring Sanders and advancing Wilson to second. Adam Hyzdu then doubled
off the left field wall, scoring Wilson and moving Hernandez to third. The
score was now 10-8, with the potential tying run in scoring position and no one
out. Cota struck out, but Linebrink walked pinch hitter Randall Simon to
load the bases. Abraham Nunez's weak grounder to third advanced all three
runners a single base to make it 10-9. Reboulet walked to fill the bases
again, but Linebrink retired Giles on a pop fly to third to preserve the lead.
The Padres upped the advantage to 11-9 in the seventh when Vazquez singled home
Ojeda, and that was the score entering the bottom of the ninth, when Rod Beck
came on to try and close the game for the Padres. He was immediately
greeted by Sanders, who belted his third home run of the contest, and 18th of
the season, to cut the deficit to a single run. Wilson followed with a
base hit to left, bringing the potential winning run to the plate, but Beck
regrouped and retired the next three hitters in order to earn his 11th save of
the year.
7/29/2003, SD03-Pit03, PNC Park 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2003 Padres 2 4 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 13 0 6 0 2003 Pirates 0 1 4 1 3 0 0 0 1 10 13 1 7 0 Padres AB R H BI AVG Pirates AB R H BI AVG Vazquez,R ss 4 2 2 1 .244 Nunez,A ss 5 0 1 1 .260 Kotsay cf 4 2 2 2 .286 Reboulet 2b 4 1 1 0 .254 Loretta 2b 5 1 3 5 .279 Giles,B lf 5 1 1 3 .327 Klesko 1b 5 0 0 0 .226 Sanders,R rf 5 4 4 3 .329 Nevin rf 5 1 2 0 .300 Wilson,C 1b 3 1 1 0 .260 Matthews,M p 0 0 0 0 .000 Hernandez,J 3b 5 1 2 1 .264 Beck p 0 0 0 0 .000 Hyzdu cf 5 0 1 1 .217 White,Ro lf 4 2 1 0 .281 Cota c 5 0 0 0 .000 Burroughs 3b 4 2 1 0 .297 D'Amico p 0 0 0 0 .206 Ojeda,M c 4 1 2 2 .234 Beimel p 1 1 1 0 1.000 Perez,Ol p 2 0 0 1 .100 Stairs ph 1 1 1 1 .318 Linebrink p 0 0 0 0 .385 Boehringer p 0 0 0 0 .000 Hansen ph 1 0 0 0 .327 Simon ph 0 0 0 0 .238 Witasick p 0 0 0 0 .000 Meadows p 0 0 0 0 .000 Buchanan rf 0 0 0 0 .268 Rivera,C ph 1 0 0 0 .317 38 11 13 11 Lincoln p 0 0 0 0 .000 40 10 13 10 Padres INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Perez,Ol 4.0 9 8 8 2 5 80 47 6.81 Linebrink 2.0 2 1 1 2 2 41 21 7.38 Witasick W 3-3 1.2 0 0 0 0 4 23 15 6.10 Matthews,M H 6 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 4.66 Beck S 11 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 21 15 3.86 9.0 13 10 10 4 12 168 99 Pirates INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA D'Amico L 8-6 2.0 7 8 6 2 2 50 26 4.82 Beimel 2.0 4 2 0 1 3 41 23 7.57 Boehringer 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 14 11 4.54 Meadows 2.0 2 1 1 0 0 22 18 4.26 Lincoln 2.0 0 0 0 0 3 26 16 4.05 9.0 13 11 7 3 10 153 94 SD : Hansen batted for Linebrink in the 7th Buchanan inserted at rf in the 8th Pit: Stairs batted for Beimel in the 4th Simon batted for Boehringer in the 5th Rivera,C batted for Meadows in the 7th E-Cota. 2B-Kotsay(15), Loretta(7), Burroughs(11), Hyzdu(9), Beimel(1). HR-Loretta(7), Giles,B(11), Sanders,R 3(18), Stairs(13). RBI-Vazquez,R(15), Kotsay 2(28), Loretta 5(43), Ojeda,M 2(12), Perez,Ol(1), Nunez,A(19), Giles,B 3(61), Sanders,R 3(46), Hernandez,J(67), Hyzdu(11), Stairs(29). K-Vazquez,R 2, Kotsay, Klesko 3, White,Ro, Ojeda,M, Perez,Ol 2, Nunez,A, Reboulet, Giles,B, Sanders,R, Hernandez,J, Hyzdu 3, Cota 3, Rivera,C. BB-Vazquez,R, Kotsay, White,Ro, Reboulet, Wilson,C 2, Simon. SF-Ojeda,M, Perez,Ol. HBP-Burroughs. PB-Cota. HB-Beimel. WP-D'Amico 2. GWRBI: Loretta Temperature: 77, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 8 MPH. Attendance: 15,391 Game Time: 3:18