PITTSBURGH _ A misplayed fly ball contributed to Eric Lauer allowing another big inning, and a misplayed grounder doomed the Padres to a 5-4 loss to the Pirates on Thursday.
The Padres scored early and threatened throughout the night but lost the opener of a four-game series against the leaders of the National League Central because they couldn't make plays they should have.
The Pirates' final blow came on a backhand attempt by third baseman Christian Villanueva in the seventh inning on what should have been the third out but instead scored Gregory Polanco from third.
That left Matt Strahm, who allowed a leadoff double to Polanco but was poised to escape unscathed, with the loss in his first decision of the season.
In the Pirates' three-run fourth inning, left fielder Franchy Cordero misplayed a single that seemed to be a certain out before Cordero froze in the middle of running in, seemingly unsure whether he wanted to make the catch or keep the hit in front of him.
Rather than it being the second out or, at worst, leaving the bases loaded, the hit was an RBI double for Corey Dickerson. A sacrifice fly and single gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead.
It was the fifth inning (among the 22 in which he has pitched at least a portion) that Lauer has allowed at least three runs.
For three innings, Lauer looked as good as he had all season, at least as sharp as in his six shutout innings against the Dodgers on May 5th. The velocity that had dipped was back. The command that had come and gone, was there consistently.
Then the command was gone again.
Pitching from behind, where he had been ahead most of the first three innings, Lauer allowed another run in the fifth before leaving after 42/3 innings.
Craig Stammen, making his earliest appearance in a game this season, relieved the rookie left-hander with two outs in the fifth, and stranded two baserunners on a grounder to third. Stammen has stranded nine of the 12 runners he has inherited this season.
Adam Cimber worked a scoreless sixth, escaping after allowing a two-out double.
The Padres had runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh but didn't score and then went down in order in the final two innings.
They took a 2-0 lead in the third on an RBI single by Travis Jankowski and RBI grounder by Eric Hosmer. They took a 4-3 lead in the fifth on Hosmer's two-run double.
