Pedro Alvarez's second big-league homer was part of a six-run seventh inning as the Pirates defeated the Phillies this afternoon, 8-5. Starter Jeff Karstens allowed five runs over six innings, but the Bucs were able to come back thanks to an uncharacteristic burst of offense and scoreless innings by their top three relievers, Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel.
Alvarez, who added an RBI single, now has a seven-game hitting streak, raising his average from .114 to .210 in those seven games. He's still striking out a lot, but it's nice to see his bat finally coming alive.