• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Gonzalez, Bard help Padres edge Pirates

Jul 26, 2008 - 3:45 AM By Brad Everett PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- On a night when two of the Pittsburgh Pirates' best players left home, the San Diego Padres felt right at home.

Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Bard each drove in a pair of runs as the Padres hung on for a 6-5 win over the Pirates at PNC Park.

Adam LaRoche hit a pair of home runs for Pittsburgh, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped. The major news of the night for the Pirates, however, was the departure of right fielder Xavier Nady and lefthander Damaso Marte, who reportedly were traded to the New York Yankees.

The deal, pending physicals, will send Nady and Marte to the Yankees for righthander Ross Ohlendorf and three minor leaguers.

"To lose those two guys obviously is an emotional blow for us a little bit," Pirates manager John Russell said. "But we are also very excited for them, they get an opportunity to do something. And it's also a move where we want to be a very competitive team here for a long time. We felt that this was the best move for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as being a very good move for (Nady) and (Marte)."

Nady, who was hitting .330 with 13 home runs and 57 RBI, was removed from Friday's contest after the first inning. Marte, who had been the Pirates' closer of late because of an injury to Matt Capps, was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA and five saves this season. He was caught by television cameras hugging his teammates in the dugout in the second inning.

"It just caught a lot of people by surprise," said Pirates left fielder Jason Bay, who also has been rumored to be on the trading block. "The first couple of innings it was almost like the game became secondary. And I think that once everybody got over the initial reaction of that in the fourth or fifth, then all of a sudden it was right back to baseball."

In winning for the second time in their last 11 games, the Padres were forced to withstand what looked to be a disastrous eighth inning.

Reliever Heath Bell allowed the first three Pirates to reach base while protecting a 6-4 lead. He fought back, however, to strike out LaRoche before getting Doug Mientkiewicz to line out.

Pittsburgh drew within 6-5 when Bell walked Jose Bautista to force in a run, but the righthander got Jack Wilson to pop out, ending the frame. Trevor Hoffman tossed a perfect ninth for his 19th save.

"I think they were trying not to do too much off me, the first three guys," Bell said. "I had to kick it up to high gear and make sure I didn't give up any runs. Unfortunately, the umpire didn't agree with me (on the run-scoring walk). I think he made a mistake, and it was a strike. But that's human error. That's the way the game is."

Gonzalez's two-run homer in the fourth off Pirates starter Zach Duke (4-8) served as the big blow, giving the Padres a 3-1 lead. Bard, who delivered an RBI single in the second inning, capped a two-run sixth with a run-scoring groundout that put San Diego ahead, 5-2.

"I think the difference tonight was we got some timely hitting," said San Diego left fielder Chase Headley, one of four Padres with two hits. "We got some RBI in big situations. I think for the most part we get some hits here and there, but it's just been hard for us to put anything together in the same inning. To get a big hit here or there was a big thing for us tonight."

The sixth-inning rally came after LaRoche hit his second home run of the game - and 100th of his career - in the bottom of the fourth.

"We let it slip away a little bit," Russell said. "You could sense it in the eighth, these guys knew they had to come together. We were two players short tonight. You could feel the intensity and the focus. Unfortunately, we lost. But that group in there is a special bunch. We have fought through adversity all year. I really believe they will stay together."

Cha Seung Baek (3-4) pitched 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win. Baek, who is 3-0 in four road starts, allowed four runs and sevens hits.

"(LaRoche) hit two home runs, but other than that, it was good," Baek said.