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Coste's three RBI lead Phillies past Pirates

Apr 26, 2008 - 4:18 AM By Brad Everett PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) - If it were up to Chris Coste, he would play the Pittsburgh Pirates much more often.

Coste went 3-for-5 with three RBI, helping the Philadelphia Phillies escape with a 6-5 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park on Friday night.

It was yet another outstanding performance against Pittsburgh for Coste, a backup catcher who at the age of 35 made an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career this season. In 27 lifetime at-bats against the Pirates, Coste is hitting .481 with a home run and 16 RBI.

Coste, who admitted he experienced shortness of breath and lightheadedness throughout the game, said his performance was fueled by several other hot hitters on a Phillies lineup that has averaged six runs a game in winning five of its past six.

"We have a talented team, top to bottom, so hitting becomes contagious," said Coste, who said he was experiencing flu-like symptoms throughout the game. "When you see guys like (Chase) Utley, (Pat) Burrell and (Jayson) Werth tearing the cover off the ball, it kind of carries over to some of the other guys."

Coste hit a two-run double in the top of the first to give Philadelphia an early lead, and his RBI single in the third upped the advantage to 4-0.

Werth added two hits - including a homer - and two RBI for the Phillies.

Xavier Nady went 2-for-3 with three RBI for the Pirates, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 13 games, but his team lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

"It's frustrating," Nady said. "We get a couple of big hits here and there, good at-bats, but I guess in the big scheme of things, we've got to find a way to get one more run. But it gets frustrating falling on the short end."

In order to get the victory - their fifth in the past six games - the Phillies had to fight off a Pirates club which nearly came all the way back from a 6-0 deficit in the fourth inning.

But after Pittsburgh pulled within 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth, chasing Philadelphia starter Adam Eaton in the process, the Phillies got another solid effort from its bullpen, which gave up two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings.

With Philadelphia clinging to a 6-5 lead, Tom Gordon (2-2) and J.C. Romero each tossed a scoreless inning before Brad Lidge worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save.

"We're doing an outstanding job right now," Lidge said of the bullpen, which prior to this contest had hurled 14 consecutive scoreless innings. "Guys are really coming in there and in tough situations, too, and getting it done.

"I think we're all very confident and very comfortable right now and I think that's a big part of a bullpen's success is everyone feeling confident and comfortable with what they're doing."

Zach Duke (0-2) lasted six innings for the Pirates, giving up six runs, nine hits and two walks while striking out two.

"I shot myself in the foot out of the gate in the first inning and that kind of set the tone," Duke said. "If a couple things go differently, if I make a pitch here or make a pitch there, but it just didn't happen tonight. I wasn't real sharp. That's the way it goes."

The lefthander has surrendered at least eight hits in each of his five starts and has allowed 43 in 28 2/3 innings this season.