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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Bay homers as Pirates sweep Astros with 8-7 win
By CHRIS DUNCAN
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Jason Bay hit a two-run homer and the Pittsburgh Pirates earned their first road sweep this season with an 8-7 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

Doug Mientkiewicz drove in two runs, starter Ian Snell had an RBI single and Franquelis Osoria (4-3) pitched two innings of scoreless relief as the Pirates finished off their first sweep since taking three from San Francisco at PNC Park from May 6-8.

Damaso Marte shut out the Astros in the ninth for his fifth save in seven chances.

The Pirates have won three straight road games for the first time this season and have their first three-game victory streak since taking six straight from May 6-12.

Kaz Matsui hit a solo homer and Mark Loretta added a two-run single for the Astros, who've lost four in a row and dropped into last place in the NL Central.

Reliever Geoff Geary (2-2) allowed two runs in the seventh, the first runs he allowed in nine appearances covering 14 2-3 innings this month.

The Pirates scored 25 runs in the three-game series and have taken seven of nine from the Astros this season.

Nate McLouth led off the game with a single off Brian Moehler, went to third on Freddy Sanchez's single and scored on Ryan Doumit's sacrifice fly. Bay then hit a two-run homer to make it 3-0, giving him 13 RBIs in his last nine games.

Xavier Nady singled to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. After Mientkiewicz singled, Snell blooped a hit into right field for his first RBI of the season and a 4-0 lead.

Snell faced trouble in the bottom of the first, giving up a single to Michael Bourn between walks to Matsui and Lance Berkman. Loretta scored two with a line-drive single to left and Berkman came home on Hunter Pence's grounder.

Berkman mishandled McLouth's bouncer leading off the second inning, uncharacteristic for a team that came into the game with the fewest errors in the NL (48). McLouth scored on Sanchez's double, his seventh RBI of the series.

With two outs in the Houston second, Matsui drove an 0-1 pitch into the right-field seats, his second homer of the season. Continued...
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