PHOENIX _ The bleeding stopped Saturday night when closer Tony Watson embraced catcher Francisco Cervelli near the pitcher's mound and exhaled. After six consecutive losses, on the seventh day the Pirates were winners again, 4-3, against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Pirates (15-22) have a shot to salvage a series split in their Sunday matinee.
Right-hander Trevor Williams, drafted out of nearby Arizona State, rebounded from a poor start Monday in Los Angeles to turn in five innings of one-run baseball in his second start this season. Williams allowed four hits and a walk, all in the first two innings, and struck out four.
Williams (2-2) got off to a rocky start before settling in. Two singles and a two-out walk in the first inning prompted pitching coach Ray Searage to pay Williams a visit on the mound. He induced a ground ball to escape the bases-loaded bind. In the second, seven-hitter Nick Ahmed sliced a slider to left and landed it in the Diamondbacks bullpen for a leadoff home run, his first of two homers Saturday. The next hitter, Jeff Mathis, cracked a double but was left at second.
The Pirates offense produced nine hits, their most since May 6, which was their last win before the six-game skid began. They missed plenty of chances to add on _ they stranded runners in scoring position in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth _ but capitalized more often than Arizona.
Leading off the fourth inning, Gregory Polanco attempted to bunt for a base hit but pushed the first pitch foul. He decided to swing away. On the next pitch, Polanco sent a busted-bat dribbler 40 feet down the third-base line for a single. His best-laid bunt plan worked after all, only a pitch late.
The Pirates were in business. They loaded the bases with no outs, tying the game when Cervelli hit into a run-scoring double play. The Diamondbacks elected to intentionally walk Jordy Mercer for the second time in four innings, bringing to bat Williams. The pitcher struck a 2-2 pitch from right-hander Taijuan Walker to second baseman Brandon Drury.
When the bouncing baseball arrived, Drury, who holds the National League's best batting average (.435) in home games, put the "E" in home. The ball clipped Drury's mitt and squirted past him. Williams was safe at first, and David Freese crossed home plate for a 2-1 lead.
Back-to-back doubles by Josh Harrison and Andrew McCutchen added a run in the fifth.
Meanwhile, Williams mowed through the Diamondbacks lineup. After the home run and double in the second inning, he retired 12 consecutive batters. The streak ended abruptly there. Hurdle lifted Williams for pinch-hitter John Jaso with a runner on second and one out in the fifth, up by two runs. The move raised some eyebrows initially, as Williams was at 77 pitches and rolling.
Hurdle's hunch was rewarded. Jaso, whose pinch-hit plate appearance Tuesday resulted in a game-tying home run, spanked an RBI single to right field. As if padding the lead weren't enough, Jaso swiped second base for his first steal since Aug. 8, 2015, his pre-Pirates days.
The well-rested back end of the Pirates bullpen set to work protecting a three-run lead. Right-hander Juan Nicasio covered the sixth but failed to cover first base in the seventh, departing with runners on the corners and one out. Left-hander Felipe Rivero, cranking the heat to 101.6 mph, got pinch-hitters Chris Owings and A.J. Pollock to pop up off-speed pitches.
In the eighth, Paul Goldschmidt smacked a solo home run to right off Rivero, snapping the lefty's streak of 14 consecutive appearances without an earned run. His ERA jumped from 0.45 to 0.87. Watson was tagged for a homer too, Ahmed's second, before securing his eighth save.
