SAN DIEGO -- Without Nos. 3 and 4 hitters Nate McLouth, scratched after his right oblique muscle was strained in batting practice, and Ryan Doumit, whose wrist surgery a day earlier reportedly went well, the Pirates scratched and banged but couldn't hold off a two-out rally by the San Diego Padres in the 11th inning, 4-3, before 25,601 at Petco Park last.
The impact of the absences of McLouth and Doumit cannot be underplayed: Combined, they had driven in roughly one-third of the Pirates' runs thus far. McLouth's late-day injury, not considered serious, caused a reshuffling of the lineup. That resulted in right fielder Eric Hinske scoring a run, left fielder Brandon Moss driving in his first RBI of the season and Andy LaRoche -- lowered one rung in the order, to eighth -- driving in the run that completed a two-run rally and tied the score at 3-3 in the sixth.
The Padres ended their three-game losing streak when former Pirates slugger Brian Giles -- batting .152 at the time -- clubbed a 1-2, Matt Capps (0-1) pitch into right field to drive in pinch-batter Chris Burke, who had walked and stole second. The loss also ended the Pirates' three-game winning streak.
Starting pitcher Ian Snell drove in the Pirates' first run of the game. His first-pitch, bases-loaded single up the middle scored Moss in the second.
Nyjer Morgan, replacing McLouth in center field, couldn't bring in another run with the bases reloaded.
But then Snell gave up that lead on the very next pitch, a fastball over the plate in the bottom of the second. Adrian Gonzalez turned that into his sixth home run of the season.
The Padres swelled that lead to 3-1 with a run off Snell in each of the next two innings. David Eckstein had a two-out triple in the third and Nick Hundley a two-out double in the fourth.
In the sixth, Adam LaRoche walked, Eric Hinske doubled and Moss followed with a run-scoring grounder. Andy LaRoche's single scored Hinske, and a single by Jason Jaramillo and an intentional walk to Morgan loaded the bases. Jack Wilson struck out and promptly threw his bat, ending the sixth-inning threat.
Wilson, in the 10th, made his third error in his past five games -- this after going 51 games without one.
The Pirates had the makings of a ninth-inning rally cut hastily short. After Morgan's lead-off infield single, Wilson popped out on a bunt attempt, and Morgan got picked off straying from first.
Wilson couldn't complete a double play on a Gonzalez grounder, with Giles aboard on a walk, or on a Chase Headley grounder to follow.
Edwin Moreno (1-2) pitched the 10th and 11th for the victory.
Today
?Game: Pirates (Duke 2-1) vs. Padres (Hill 1-0), 10:05 p.m.
?Where: Petco Park, San Diego.
?TV: FSN Pittsburgh.
