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Back-to-back homers by Bautista and Paulino lead Pirates

May 4, 2007 - 4:31 AM MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The night ended in a hurry for Dave Bush.

Bush lost his shutout bid in the seventh inning, allowing consecutive homers to Jose Bautista and Ronny Paulino as the Brewers dropped a 4-2 decision Thursday to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With Milwaukee off to its best 27-game start since 1987, Bush (2-3) appeared to be on his way to continuing the club's run, carrying a two-hit shutout into the seventh. But in a matter of 25 pitches, the righthander lost his shutout, the lead and the game.

"It's very frustrating," Bush said. "I was one pitch from getting a win. I'm very disappointed, not with the way I pitched, but that I couldn't make the pitch when I needed to."

Freddie Sanchez started the rally with a double to center field and scored on a two-base hit to right-center by Jason Bay on a 3-2 count. After Bush retired Ryan Doumit and Xavier Nady, Bautista blasted a 1-1 offering out over the plate well over the left field wall for his second home run of the season and a 3-2 lead. Paulino followed two pitches later with a blast to right-center.

"He (Bush) didn't put the changeup where he wanted to and I was able to take advantage and hit the ball out of the park," said Bautista.

Prior to the frame, Bush yielded just a one-out single in the third to Doumit, a leadoff double by Jack Wilson in the fourth and a one-out walk to Bautista in the fifth.

"He (Bush) just made a couple of mistakes," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "He made a mistake to Sanchez and then made a pretty good pitch to Bay, which he hit for a blooper to right field. The pitch to Bautista, he was trying to go down and away, but left the ball middle-in a bit. He was just one out from getting out of it."

While Bush could not hold the lead, Milwaukee hurt itself on the basepaths as three runners were thrown out, including two at home.

"What we were trying to do was just steal a base and J.J. took off. That wasn't a designed play," said Yost. "We weren't really thinking hard that inning he added sarcastically," he added.

J.J. Hardy was caught between third and home as Prince Fielder was trying to steal first base, Bill Hall was gunned down trying to score on a grounder an inning later and Tony Graffanino was thrown out attempting to steal second base in the fifth.

While Bush was cruising, Pirates starter Tom Gorzelanny (4-1) kept the Pirates in the game. He yielded two runs and six hits in seven innings with three walks and three strikeouts.

"Our opportunity to win tonight was a direct result of a couple of great at-bats in that one inning, but what put that opportunity in place to happen was the job that our starting pitcher did," said Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy. "With the exception of the one pitch that got away from him with the runner at third base, it was just another terrific performance."

"I just tried to go out there and do my part and try and make good pitches," Gorzelanny said. "I got big outs and the bats came through. It was a good day for us.

"I think I have the same approach at home as well as on the road. I want to go out there and do what I can to help us stay in the game and try and get outs. I know it is a totally different atmosphere, but you have to come out and get to business."

Matt Capps tossed a perfect eighth for his ninth straight scoreless appearance and Salomon Torres worked around a two-out walk for his ninth save in 12 chances.

Bush hit a one-out double in the third and scored on a two-out single by Prince Fielder to open the scoring. Milwaukee doubled the advantage in the sixth, when Hardy doubled to left-center, advanced to third on a long flyout to right by Fielder and scored on a wild pitch.