SB Nation Cleveland - Pirates' Losing Streak Ends At The Expense Of The Indianshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48841/cleveland-fave.png2010-06-19T22:56:12-05:00http://cleveland.sbnation.com/rss/stream/12902682010-06-19T22:56:12-05:002010-06-19T22:56:12-05:00Recap: Pirates End 12-Game Losing Streak With 6-4 Win Over Indians
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<p>Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Pedro Alvarez drove in what proved to be the game-winning run on his first career hit — a ground-rule double — and the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped their 12-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians.</p>
<p>It took Alvarez — Pittsburgh’s top prospect who was called up earlier this week — 14 plate appearances before the two-base hit, helping the Pirates snap their longest losing streak since a 13-game skid in 2006. Lastings Milledge came a home run shy of the cycle, driving in four and scoring once, while Andrew McCutchen went 2-for-2 and scored four times.</p>
<p>Jeff Karstens (2-2) earned the first Pirates win since June 5 after allowing four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Octavio Dotel earned his 13th save of the season.</p>
<p>Russell Branyan hit a three-run homer for the Indians, who have lost four of five. David Huff (2-9) fell to 0-6 on the road this season after yielding five runs, six hits and six walks in just five innings.</p>
<p>Cleveland took the early lead on Austin Kearns’ <span class="caps">RBI</span> groundout in the first inning, but the Pirates rallied to move in front.</p>
<p>With two down in the first and nobody on, McCutchen and Garrett Jones drew back-to-back four-pitch walks. McCutchen came around to score the tying run on an infield single by Milledge.</p>
<p>In the third, Neil Walker and McCutchen both singled to begin the inning, putting runners on the corners. Walker was retired during a rundown between third and home on Jones’ ground ball, but he remained in play long enough to allow the runners to reach second and third. Milledge followed with a slicing liner to right that got past Shin-Soo Choo for a two-run triple and 3-1 Pirates lead.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh added two more runs in the fifth. McCutchen walked leading off and raced around to score on Milledge’s double off the wall in center. Alvarez followed with an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double for his first major league hit and a four- run cushion.</p>
<p>The Indians, though, drew to within one in the sixth on Branyan’s three-run homer that hit off the right field foul pole. Trevor Crowe and Shin-Soo Choo preceeded the blast with a pair of singles to start the inning.</p>
<p>Amidst a flurry of Pittsburgh pitching changes, Cleveland managed to load the bases with two outs later in the sitxh for pinch-hitter Travis Hafner, who grounded out weakly to pitcher Evan Meek.</p>
<p>The Pirates added an insurance run in the eighth on Jones’ two-out <span class="caps">RBI</span> single, and Dotel pitched around a one-out walk in the ninth to secure the win and end the streak.</p>
<p>The six walks given up by Huff ties a career-high…Huff is 1-8 in his last 11 starts and hasn’t won since May 23…The Pirates are now 1-7 in interleague play…Both teams had nine hits…Karstens earned his first win since May 8.</p>
https://cleveland.sbnation.com/2010/6/19/1526650/recap-pirates-end-12-game-losingChris Pokorny2010-06-19T16:04:01-05:002010-06-19T16:04:01-05:00David Huff Look For First Road Win As Indians Face Pirates
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<p>(<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/54792/preview/107115">Sports Networ</a>k) - Right-hander <span>Jeff Karstens</span> makes another attempt to stop the misery in Pittsburgh tonight, when the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/PIT" class="sbn-auto-link">Pirates</a> host the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/CLE" class="sbn-auto-link">Cleveland Indians</a> in the second of three interleague games at PNC Park.</p>
<p>The Pirates enter the night having lost 12 straight games, including Friday's opener by a 4-3 ledger after Cleveland's <span>Carlos Santana</span> had two hits and knocked in what proved to be the game-winning run in a four-run seventh.</p>
<p><span>Jason Donald</span> 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. <span>Anderson Hernandez</span> also had two hits, while <span>Trevor Crowe</span> and <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span> each knocked in a run.</p>
<p><span>Fausto Carmona</span> (6-5) exceeded his 2009 win total after allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while fanning seven in six-plus innings. <span>Kerry Wood</span> worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save.</p>
<p><span>Ryan Church</span> hit a three-run double to account for all of Pittsburgh's offense. <span>Neil Walker</span> and <span>Garrett Jones</span> each had a pair of hits in defeat.</p>
<p><span>Paul Maholm</span> (4-5) lasted 6 2/3 innings and yielded four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks with five strikeouts.</p>
<p>The Pirates have not won since June 5.</p>
<p>Karstens, who's made six starts in 12 appearances this season, is winless since a 2-0 defeat of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/STL" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a> on May 8.</p>
<p>In that game, he tossed six innings and allowed three hits with four strikeouts.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Cleveland counters with lefty <span>David Huff</span>, who tossed eight scoreless innings in defeating the Pirates in his lone career matchup against them.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Huff is 0-5 in seven road starts in 2010, with a 7.29 ERA.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh took two of three from the Indians last season.</p>
https://cleveland.sbnation.com/2010/6/19/2316670/david-huff-look-for-first-road-win-as-indians-face-piratesJohn Bena