• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bay's two-run homer caps Pirates' comeback

Apr 3, 2007 - 4:07 AM HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Thanks to Brad Lidge, Jason Bay got a chance to become an Opening Day hero.

Bay drilled a two-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-2 victory over the stunned Houston Astros.

Bay's blast - the third in three innings by the Pirates - off Chad Qualls capped an unlikely comeback, considering Astros' starter Roy Oswalt was toying with the Pirates through seven shutout innings.

"That was a fastball that got up a little bit," said Bay. "I missed one the at-bat before where I pushed it down the line a little bit. It was so close there with the window of opportunity closing that I didn't know if I would get a chance to get up there and do it again. It was a bit of extra redemption."

However, Nate McLouth's one-out, pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning cut Pittsburgh's deficit to 2-1. After an out and a single by Jack Wilson, Oswalt was lifted for Dan Wheeler, who got out of the eighth and handed the ball to embattled closer Brad Lidge for the ninth.

The hard-throwing Lidge struck out Adam LaRoche and retired Ronny Paulino on a groundout before Xavier Nady drilled a first-pitch fastball over the left field wall. After an outstanding 2005 campaign, Lidge struggled with consistency all of last season, posting a 5.28 ERA and allowing 10 homers in 75 innings, losing his closer's job.

"Huge at-bat by Nady," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "Obviously we were an out away from losing, and then the at-bat that Jason Bay took after Jack Wilson reached on the infield hit. It's a great way to start."

After Wilson singled with one out in the 10th, Bay deposited an 0-2 fastball deep over the left field fence.

"I threw a slider down and in and that is my bread and butter pitch to (Bay)," Qualls said. "I felt bad, though. That's not the way I had it pictured."

Matt Capps (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth and Salomon Torres a perfect ninth to notch the save for Pittsburgh.

"We got great pitching, we caught the ball, and something that has eluded us all year last year showed up here on the first day, that is some big at-bats at the right time," Tracy said.

Oswalt, who was 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA last season against Pittsburgh, allowed five hits and a walk and struck out three in 7 2/3 innings.

"I think I felt good but I made myself a little nervous with that first batter (a walk to Chris Duffy)," Oswalt said. "I got through it though and really settled down. After that first inning, I didn't know if I was going to have enough (to go deep in the game) but I got through it."

The righthander was locked in a pitchers' duel with Pittsburgh starter Zach Duke until Luke Scott hit a two-run run homer, a 430-foot shot in the fifth inning.

Duke yielded two runs and eight hits in seven frames. He was helped by center fielder Chris Duffy, who threw out a runner at second base and another at the plate. He threw out Scott in the second inning trying to stretch a single into a double and cut down Chris Burke trying to score from second base on a single by Oswalt in the fifth.