The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped their second straight to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, losing 5-4. The Bucs fell behind in the first inning and despite several chances to take the lead, they could never quite get over the hump as the Phillies' offense came through when called upon. Erik Bedard went six innings for Clint Hurdle, giving up four runs while striking out three and walking two. The Phils did their damage in the early innings and a Ty Wigginton two-run shot in the bottom of the third pushed their lead to 4-1.
But the winning run, it turned out, would not come until bottom of the eighth as catcher Carlos Ruiz hit a solo blast off Juan Cruz. It would prove to be valuable insurance as Matt McKenry would hit his fourth homer in the next half inning to make it a one-run game. But closer Jonathan Papelbon would hold on, retiring Alex Presley and Jose Tabata to preserve the 5-4 win.
McKenry finished the night three for three with two RBIs and a run. The Bucs still have a chance to split the four-game series but they'll need James McDonald to stop the skid on Wednesday night. He'll be opposed by Raul Valdes.
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