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Freese, Bucs rally past D-backs with big 5th
- Updated: May 26, 2016
PITTSBURGH — A day after showcasing their lineup’s full potential, the Pirates displayed their resilience. David Freese’s two-run homer punctuated a four-run fifth inning as the Bucs stormed back to beat the D-backs, 5-4, on Wednesday night at PNC Park.
“This lineup has shown time and time again that we’re going to fight, [at-bat] to [at-bat], from the first inning on,” Freese said. “It might not look like it all the time, but we battle.”
Pittsburgh has won eight of its past 10 games. The Pirates scored 12 runs to win the series opener Tuesday and needed each of the five runs they pushed across Wednesday night.
Left-hander Jeff Locke threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and two homers. But he kept the game close enough for the lineup to stage a four-run rally in the fifth. John Jaso and Andrew McCutchen singled, Gregory Polanco lined an RBI double to right field and Starling Marte pulled the Bucs within one on a run-scoring groundout. Up came Freese, who crushed the go-ahead shot into the Pittsburgh bullpen at 451 feet, per Statcast™.
“It’s a matter of ‘when’ with those guys,” Locke said. “They’re playing really well right now. We just want to keep it rolling as long as we can.”
The fifth was the Pirates’ first and final shot to crack right-hander Rubby De La Rosa, who left after allowing five runs on a season-high nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. The D-backs gave De La Rosa an early lead on a pair of home runs: Yasmany Tomas’ two-run shot in the second and Rickie Weeks Jr.’s solo homer in the fifth.
“Both [Tomas] and Rickie, you don’t often see home runs to left field here, it’s a long way,” D-backs manager Chip Hale said. “They both hooked them right one around the pole and the other off the pole. Those are good at-bats.”
MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDS-Rod, for J-Hay: With Josh Harrison scratched about an hour before first pitch, Sean Rodriguez took over at second base, batting sixth. He put the Pirates on the board in the fourth, crushing a leadoff shot 402 feet to left field for his …
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