PITTSBURGH _ A close play at second base ruined the Pirates' rally in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday.
That turned out to be small potatoes compared to a much more controversial one in extra innings _ when a home run appeared to be foul _ that ultimately cost them a game.
The end result was another loss, this one by a 6-3 score as the Pirates opened a three-game series with the Cleveland Indians at PNC Park, but it's likely this will sting more than any of Pittsburgh's previous 14 defeats this season.
The deciding play came with one out in the top of the 10th inning. Sam Howard was pitching to Indians first baseman Carlos Santana. Santana turned on an inside fastball from Howard and walloped it 442 feet onto the rotunda.
It's important to note that it was called a home run on the field, while initial angles appeared to show the ball sailing over the foul pole. However, there was also an angle from a right-field camera that showed the ball disappearing behind the foul pole, a pretty clear indication that it was not fair.
Crew chief Dan Iassogna and the other umpires conferred, slapped on some headsets, and the call stood. The reasoning was that they consulted all available angles and argued that they could not definitely see anything that would lead them to overturn the call.
But it certainly did not look like a home run, and it's tough to believe that they ever saw that later angle.
Nevertheless, it's another defeat for the Pirates, who are now 1-7 against AL teams this season. Playing just their third game in the past nine days, the Pirates are 2-12 in their past 14 after winning two of their first three.
It looked like the Pirates had a chance to maybe win it in the bottom of the ninth, with two on and none out after the Indians bungled Jacob Stallings' bunt attempt. But Jarrod Dyson was picked off of second base on a close play, eliminating the possibility of him scoring when Kevin Newman singled with two outs.
Josh Bell would strike out to force extra innings.
The Pirates grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Colin Moran picked up his team-high 10th RBI of the season with a two-out single through the shift on the right side. Indians starter Carlos Carrasco put a sinker low and inside, and Moran turned on it.
The hit scored Newman, who doubled to left with one out to extend his hitting streak to seven games. After a 3-for-4 night, Newman is hitting .414 (12-for-29) during that stretch.
Cleveland had a runner on second in each of the first two innings and broke through with a three-run third when Brubaker struggled with his control.
Second baseman Cesar Hernandez led off with a double and wound up on third after back-to-back walks to third baseman Jose Ramirez and shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Santana made Brubaker pay for leaving a spinning slider out over the plate, as he drove in a pair of runs with his bases-loaded single. The Indians tacked on one more with a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Franmil Reyes.
The Pirates tied the score with an opportunistic fifth inning. Adam Frazier singled with one out, Newman walked, and they both moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch from Carrasco. Bell followed by driving a low changeup to the gap in right-center field for a two-run double, tying the score at 3.
It was another so-so outing from Brubaker, who performed similarly in his first MLB start Aug. 6 against the Twins. In both games, Brubaker allowed three runs over three innings and did not enjoy a single 1-2-3 inning.
While he had a solid MLB debut (two scoreless innings on July 26) and was outstanding again Aug. 1 at Wrigley Field, the past two outings for Brubaker have been average at best.
And even though the Pirates can probably afford to let Brubaker learn on the job because they lack pitching depth, he hasn't done much to seize an opportunity.
Of course, Pirates pitchers also had to work around a few miscues, as this certainly wasn't Pittsburgh's cleanest game of the season. Frazier made an error and failed to handle a throw from Dyson in center, costing the Pirates an out.
Gonzalez had a wild throw in the fourth, once Derek Holland relieved Brubaker. Both teams had poorly executed bunts, with plays being made at second base to short-circuit the attempts, and Moran was thrown out at second base when he didn't realize that Bryan Reynolds' pop fly had dropped.
Newman's bunt attempt in the third inning was especially curious given his aforementioned hot streak and Jacob Stallings' lack of speed on the bases. (Stallings was thrown out easily when Newman's bunt never left the dirt.)
Holland's relief appearance came as a surprise. After saying Sunday that Holland would pitch this coming weekend, manager Derek Shelton decided to use the left-hander out of the bullpen for the first time this season. Holland acquitted himself well with two scoreless innings while striking out a pair.
