Jose Bautista drove in three runs to aid the Pirates in a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros, rallying to a 5-4 victory Wednesday night.
After opening last season with six straight losses, the club is 3-0 for the first time since 2003, completing its first three-game sweep in Houston since 1991. This is special because the Pirates lost 18 of their first 23 games last year - their 14th straight losing season.
Tom Gorzelanny (1-0) allowed seven hits and three runs with four strikeouts in five innings for the win. Carlos Lee's RBI single to center field in the first put the Astros ahead 1-0 before Bautista's run-scoring double in the second tied it at 1.
In the third, Craig Biggio and Chris Burke hit back-to-back singles before Biggio scored on a Lance Berkman sacrifice fly to right that put Houston ahead 2-1. Bigs had three hits Wednesday to put him 66 hits shy of 3,000 in his career. Houston's other run came in the fourth inning when Gorzelanny hit Burke with a pitch with the bags full.
Pirates catcher Ronny Paulino got an RBI double in the fifth and Bautista drove in two runs with his single to center, putting Pittsburgh ahead 4-3. With two outs in the inning, Astros starter Woody Williams (0-1) was replaced by Dave Borkowski.
The Pirates stretched their lead to 2 when Chris Duffy's grounder bounced off Adam Everett's glove. The shortstop chased down the ball, but
Shawn Chacon pitched two perfect innings before Matt Capps retired three straight in the eighth. Salomon Torres, who went 12-for-12 in save chances last year, pitched the ninth for the Pirates - allowing Biggio's two-out homer - for his league-leading third save in as many nights.
[MLB]
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