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Late errors help Pirates rally over Mets

Aug 17, 2007 - 4:27 AM By Chris Adamski PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Freddy Sanchez scored as a result of two New York Mets' errors in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates avoided a three-game series sweep with a come-from-behind 10-7 triumph on Thursday.

Adam LaRoche hit his 18th homer and Jason Bay had three hits and three RBI for Pittsburgh, which snapped its three-game losing streak.

After wiping out deficits of 5-0 and 7-3, the Pirates scored single runs in the fifth and sixth, two in the seventh to tie and added three more runs in the eighth to take the lead for good.

"It's nice to see that we're not lying down, we're not quitting," LaRoche said. "It says a lot about the character of this team. Obviously, the Mets are playing for a lot more right now, and for us to still be going out and playing every inning like it's our last is fun to watch."

All the action in the eighth came after two were out against reliever Aaron Heilman (7-5). Sanchez reached second on a throwing error by third baseman David Wright and scored on LaRoche's run-scoring single to right. Right fielder Marlon Anderson's throw to the plate was not handled by catcher Mike DiFelice, and the error allowed Sanchez to score.

Bay and Jose Bautista each stroked RBI singles for a three-run bulge.

"That's a great offensive team over there, but with the way we've been swinging the bats, it wasn't out of the question we'd get a few runs," Bay said. "And even at 5-0, you try to chip away, and pretty soon you look up there and you're a run or two behind."

Pittsburgh's Damaso Marte (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win and closer Matt Capps earned his 11th save by pitching the ninth.

Carlos Beltran went 3-for-5 and hit his 22nd home run for the Mets, who lead the Philadelphia Phillies by three games and the Atlanta Braves by 3 1/2 games in the National League East.

"It's a giveaway game, and it can't happen," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "These guys play us tough here, but there's no excuse for it. We weren't able to put them away, and you've got to give them credit for battling back. But there's no way we should lose game like that."

Beltran, who finished the series 6-for-14 with two homers and six RBI, gave the Mets a 2-0 lead with his shot into the right field seats off of Pittsburgh starter Tony Armas Jr. that scored Jose Reyes, who was on base four times and stole two bases.

New York added a run in the second, when Luis Castillo drove in Reyes with an RBI single and took a 5-0 lead for the second night in a row an inning later on starter Brian Lawrence's single and a bases-loaded walk to Reyes.

Armas, who had won his previous two starts to lower his ERA to 6.13, allowed five runs and six hits with five walks through 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two.

"Just my mechanics, everything was off," Armas said. "You have to give the guys credit. They never gave up and they picked me up."

Meanwhile, Lawrence carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning but that was promptly broken up by LaRoche's homer that went over the set of elevated bleachers in right. Later that inning, a Paulino double drove in Jack Wilson to slice the lead to 5-3.

New York got two of those runs back the following half-inning on RBI singles by Lawrence and Castillo. The Pirates tacked on one in each of their next two innings when Bay singled home Nate McLouth in the fifth and McLouth doubled in Paulino in the sixth.

"We had that big lead, but they kept making things happen, getting runners on," New York's Shawn Green said. "In this game, you've got to keep moving forward, and (Thursday) was tough, but (Friday) we've got to bounce back."

Lawrence, making his third start of the season for the Mets after spending most of the season in Class AAA, allowed four runs and four hits with four walks in five innings.

Pittsburgh tied it in the seventh when the first five batters of the inning reached against three different Mets relievers, but the Pirates could add no more with the bags full and nobody out when Paulino struck out and pinch hitter Xavier Nady grounded into a double play.

"That was a tremendous come-from-behind win," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "To come back after we lost the first two (games of the series) the way we did and stay with it is just a great effort, especially the way things started out."