The Pittsburgh Pirates took the second of their four-game series against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night in a dramatic 8-7 win. With the game tied 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth, Drew Sutton capped an impressive three-hit night with a walk-off blast over the centerfield wall. It was another great night at PNC Park, with the Bucs getting the last big hit in a see-saw game.
The Bucs fell behind 4-0 early as A.J. Burnett was roughed up by a mediocre Houston lineup. But the duo of Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones continued their big series to get Pittsburgh back into it. McCutchen fired a two-run homer to right to cut the early lead in half and Jones gave the Bucs their first lead of the night with his own two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. One inning prior, Pedro Alvarez chipped in with a huge pinch-hit single that scored Neil Walker and Casey McGehee. That put the Bucs in position for the Jones heroics in the seventh.
But the recently named All-Star Joel Hanrahan blew his third save of the season in the top of the ninth. A walk to Jed Lowrie came back to haunt him when pinch hitter Jason Castro doubled to deep right to tie things up. However, Hanrahan's offense -- namely Sutton -- was there to pick him up in the bottom of the inning and hand the closer his fourth win of the season.
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