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Watson loses late lead after Bucs rally
- Updated: September 7, 2016
PITTSBURGH — Each loss only counts as one, even as they continue to pile up on the Pirates. But Tuesday night’s defeat may have felt like more — not only for the gut-punching way it went down, but for how Pittsburgh scratched and clawed back, only to be let down in the ninth inning.
Closer Tony Watson recorded two quick outs followed by two quick strikes against pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter. Then came the Cardinals’ barrage, three homers in a four-batter, nine-pitch sequence. By the time it was over, the Pirates were left with the bitter taste of a 9-7 loss, their eighth straight.
“It’s tough. A strike away from winning this thing. We’re not playing good ball,” Watson said. “To be a strike away, then serve up four more runs, it’s tough. It’s tough to swallow. Get back out there tomorrow and hopefully get the job done.”
The Pirates dug their way out of a five-run hole in the middle innings. They masterfully bridged four scoreless innings from starter Ryan Vogelsong to Watson, with Felipe Rivero pitching two of them.
“We battled our butts off,” Vogelsong said. “We’ve been saying that a lot lately, but from …
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