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Padres lose to Pirates on Alvarez's single in the 9th
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The San Diego Padres' latest loss was more personal for interim manager Pat Murphy than other defeats.
Pedro Alvarez -- Murphy's son-in-law -- singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 2-1 victory over the Padres on Monday night.
Murphy admitted that it was an awkward moment as the Padres lost their third straight game.
"Pedro was going to be all right, though, whether that ball went for a hit or landed in one of our guys' gloves," Murphy said. "I would rather it had had gone into a glove."
Alvarez's second career game-ending hit lifted the Pirates to their eighth win in 10 games. Alvarez said he wasn't thinking who was managing the opponent during the game.
"Just trying to focus on the task at hand which was going up there and trying to get the job done, no matter who it was," Alvarez said.
Andrew McCutchen started the winning rally with a one-out walk off Brandon Maurer (5-2), moved to second on Jung Ho Kang's singled, took third on Francisco Cervelli's fly out and scored when Alvarez grounded up a single up the middle.
Jared Hughes (2-1) pitched one scoreless inning for the win as the Pirates beat the Padres for just the fourth time in the team's last 20 meetings at PNC Park.
Padres starter James Shields' winless streak reached six games, though he allowed only an unearned run and two hits in seven innings. He struck out three and walked one while remaining stuck on seven wins since June 3.
"I didn't really have much zip on my fastball so I had to really make some pitches," Sheets said. "I used the two-seamer a lot, got a lot of outs on the sinker."
Shortly after learning he had been selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his 17-year career, 38-year-old Pirates starter A.J. Burnett gave up five hits and one run over 7 2/3 innings. Burnett walked three and struck out four while pitching at least six innings for the 14th time in 17 starts this season.
He left after giving up two-out singles to Derek Norris and Yangervis Solarte in the eighth inning that put runners on the corners with two outs and the score tied 1-1. Tony Watson relieved and struck out Matt Kemp.
The Pirates tied it at 1-1 in the seventh inning on a two-out throwing error by third baseman Solarte on Alvarez's grounder that allowed McCutchen, who had doubled, to score from second base.
McCutchen was the Pirates' first hitter to reach second base.
The Padres scored their lone run on Alexi Amarista's sacrifice fly in the second inning. They have scored two runs or fewer in six of their last seven games and one run or fewer in 25 of their 86 games this season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: RHP Dale Thayer, who has been on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder since June 17, rejoined the team from his rehab assignment at Double-A San Antonio and will throw a bullpen session Tuesday. ... RHP Brandon Morrow, on the DL with right shoulder inflammation since May 3, is scheduled for a bullpen session Tuesday and a simulated game Saturday. ... Norris continues to play through a sprained right shoulder that he sustained last Friday in a win at St. Louis.
Pirates: 3B Josh Harrison was placed on the 15-day disabled list before the game with an injured left hand, though the team did not reveal the extent of the injury.
UP NEXT
Padres RHP Tyson Ross (5-7, 3.63) faces LHP Francisco Liriano (5-6, 2.99) on Tuesday night. Liriano has gone 4-2 with a 1.98 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings in eight starts since giving up a season-high seven runs May 19 to Minnesota.
