Weiland: Survives shaky first
(c) Associated Press
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Down 4-1 in the top of the ninth, Scott Moore drilled a three-run opposite-field homer off Ryota Kigarashi to tie the game then a fielding error by Josh Rodriguez allowed the winning run to score in the 10th as the Astros nipped Pittsburgh in Bradenton, 5-4, on Saturday.
James McDonald, who always seems to pitch well against Houston, threw seven strong innings and left with a 2-1 lead. After Garrett Jones launched a two-run bomb off David Carpenter, the Pirates appeared ready to coast to a win which was not to be.
Kyle Weiland settled down after a two-run first to work five innings, allowing six hits and walking two. Wesley Wright, Fernando Rodriguez, Rhiner Cruz and Enerio Del Rosario each pitched a scoreless inning.
The Houston offense, meanwhile, made the most out of just four hits, five walks and three Pirate errors. Besides Moore's homer, the Astros got singles from Brian Bogusevic, Travis Buck and Mike Hessman. Brett Wallace added a sacrifice fly.
The Astros will host the Pirates on Sunday while a split squad travels to Atlanta to face the Braves. Both games will start at 12:05 Central. Lefties J.A. Happ and Zach Duke will pitch for Houston.
In other news, reliever Sergio Escalona will miss the upcoming season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. This opens the door for Wright or Fernando Abad to claim the bullpen role Escalona held last year.
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