The Pirates picked up two-run homers in the first inning by Garrett Jones and Chris Snyder, along with a solid start by James McDonald, in their 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres Monday. They seemed determine to squander all three, but ultimately held on for a victory.
Jones led the Pirates with the homer off Aaron Harang and an outfield assist, nailing Brad Hawpe in the fifth. McDonald has five strikeouts on six innings and only allowed two runs, both coming on a homer by Jorge Cantu when McDonald elevated a fastball.
In the eighth inning, a bungled play by Ronny Cedeno led to a Padres run on a Ryan Ludwick RBI single. (Cedeno also got picked off earlier in the game.) The Pirates then failed to score in the top of the ninth despite four walks by Ernesto Frieri and Luke Gregerson, thanks to Clint Hurdle eliminating a baserunner when he called for the strikeout-prone Chris Snyder to hit-and-run with the slow Lyle Overbay. The Pirates held on in the ninth, however, as closer Joel Hanrahan pitched a scoreless inning.