Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Lyle Overbay went 3-for-4 with a run scored and another driven in, as the Pirates got by the Phillies, 6-3, to guarantee a series win.
Andrew McCutchen had three hits and two RBI and Brandon Wood added a solo home run in the win, which was credited to Charlie Morton (6-2) for holding Philadelphia to two runs on six hits in his seven-inning start.
Playing in front of a PNC Park-record 39,441 fans, the Pirates won for the fourth time in five games to move within one game of the .500 mark (28-29).
“I just like the way we’re swinging the bat,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was good for our fans that came out.”
Kyle Kendrick (3-4), making his third start of the season, gave up four runs on eight hits over five innings to take the loss, the Phillies’ fourth straight, including the first two in this three-game set.
Jimmy Rollins scored the game’s first run on Ryan Howard’s fielder’s choice grounder in the first inning, but the leadoff hitter left the game a little later with a patella contusion.
McCutchen singled home Jose Tabata in Pittsburgh’s first at-bat and scored the go-ahead run on Overbay’s double high off the right-field wall.
Shane Victorino crossed home in the fourth on Domonic Brown’s groundout, but the Pirates went back in front in their half.
Overbay was awarded a leadoff triple when Raul Ibanez stumbled going after his line drive to left. Chris Snyder followed with an RBI groundout, and Wood made it 4-2 with his first home run of the season.
McCutchen doubled off J.C Romero to knock in Matt Diaz in the seventh, and Wood raced in for another insurance run on a Danys Baez wild pitch the next inning.
The Phillies loaded the bases with two outs off Joel Hanrahan in the ninth, and Placido Polanco, representing the tying run, singled in Ibanez.
The comeback came up empty, though, as Chase Utley flied out meekly to left to end the game.
“We hung in there and were trying to fight back in the end. That’s a good sign, but right now we’re in a funk and it seems like we’re having a hard time getting out of it,” said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.
Coming in, Kendrick was 4-0 with a 2.61 earned-run average in his career against the Pirates…Morton was 0-2 with a 9.75 ERA in three career starts vs. Philadelphia…The Phillies fell to 12-22 all-time at PNC Park.