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Sanchez's grand slam helps Pirates defeat Reds

Aug 29, 2007 - 1:55 AM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Freddy Sanchez hit his first career grand slam and tied a career high with five RBI as the Pittsburgh Pirates took the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds with a 6-4 win.

Jason Bay also homered and Tom Gorzelanny won for the fourth time in five decisions for Pittsburgh, which has won five of six and eight of 10.

Jorge Cantu hit his first home run of the season for the Reds, who had a six-game winning streak snapped.

The homer by Sanchez, who opened the scoring in the first with an RBI single, sailed just over the wall in center field with two outs in the fourth, giving Pittsburgh a 5-0 lead. It was the second grand slam for the Pirates this season and first since Ronny Paulino launched one on August 1.

Sanchez, who was on base four times, also plated five runs on August 11 at San Francisco.

"Freddy has done everything and then some with a month left in the season," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "If he keeps going like he has offensively, he's going to be one of those type of guys that you can look at as a great offensive player masquerading as a middle infielder, which is a great thing."

Gorzelanny (13-7) allowed four runs, eight hits and two walks in six-plus innings, striking out three. He became the first Pirates lefthander to surpass the 12-win mark since Denny Neagle went 14-6 in 1996.

"It wasn't a game where I was too happy with the (way I pitched)," Gorzelanny said. "It was one of those things where I just tried to fight myself and fight them I guess. I was getting into some jams and had to find my way out of it. I had to overcome some things and make some good pitches."

Four relievers bridged the gap to Matt Capps, who struck out Adam Dunn with runners on the corners and two outs in the ninth to earn his 14th save.

"(Capps) got into a little bit of a sticky situation there," Tracy said. "But he did a good job getting out of it."

The Reds got on the board in the fifth, when Jeff Keppinger's double drove in starting pitcher Elizardo Ramirez. But Bay got back the run immediately, depositing Ramirez's first offering over the right-center field wall for his 20th homer in the bottom of the inning.

The blast was the Pirates' 43rd this month, tying the club record for most in a month previously set in August 1947.

Cincinnati added a run in the sixth on Cantu's leadoff homer down the left field line before closing within 6-4 in the seventh on RBI base hits by Brandon Phillips and Edwin Encarnacion.

"It was a good comeback for being down five runs," Reds interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "The game turned out to be a squeaker."

Ramirez (0-2) surrendered six runs, nine hits and three walks in five innings while striking out five.

"Ramirez just gave Freddy Sanchez too good of a pitch," Mackanin said. "You don't expect that, a grand slam by Freddy to dead center. I mean, I know he can turn on the pitch, but that pitch was right there for him."