(Sports Network) - Right-hander Jeff Karstens makes another attempt to stop the misery in Pittsburgh tonight, when the Pirates host the Cleveland Indians in the second of three interleague games at PNC Park.
The Pirates enter the night having lost 12 straight games, including Friday's opener by a 4-3 ledger after Cleveland's Carlos Santana had two hits and knocked in what proved to be the game-winning run in a four-run seventh.
Jason Donald added two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Indians, who had lost their last four games after winning four in a row. Anderson Hernandez also had two hits, while Trevor Crowe and Shin-Soo Choo each knocked in a run.
Fausto Carmona (6-5) exceeded his 2009 win total after allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while fanning seven in six-plus innings. Kerry Wood worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
Ryan Church hit a three-run double to account for all of Pittsburgh's offense. Neil Walker and Garrett Jones each had a pair of hits in defeat.
Paul Maholm (4-5) lasted 6 2/3 innings and yielded four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks with five strikeouts.
The Pirates have not won since June 5.
Karstens, who's made six starts in 12 appearances this season, is winless since a 2-0 defeat of the St. Louis Cardinals on May 8.
In that game, he tossed six innings and allowed three hits with four strikeouts.
He got a no-decision in his most recent start on June 13, allowing six hits and two runs in seven innings of Pittsburgh's 4-3 loss at Detroit.
Karstens, who tossed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in his lone meeting with the Indians, is 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA in five home appearances - two starts.
Cleveland counters with lefty David Huff, who tossed eight scoreless innings in defeating the Pirates in his lone career matchup against them.
Now 25 years old, Huff earned the third victory of his major-league career on June 23, 2009 at Pittsburgh, striking out two and allowing four hits in a game the Indians won, 5-4.
He went on to win 11 times as a rookie, but has struggled to just two wins in 12 starts this season, the last coming May 23 against Cincinnati.
He allowed six hits and six runs in 5 2/3 innings of his most recent outing, a 9-4 loss to Washington on June 13.
Huff is 0-5 in seven road starts in 2010, with a 7.29 ERA.
Pittsburgh took two of three from the Indians last season.