Philadelphia, PA – Carlos Ruiz went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored as the Philadelphia Phillies took a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second of four from Citizens Bank Park.
Ruiz hit his career-high 10th home run and improved his batting average to .361 on the season, which leads all hitters in the majors.
Ty Wigginton hit a two-run homer while Vance Worley (4-4) got the win as he gave up three runs on six hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts over six-plus innings for the Phillies, who have taken the first two games of this set after dropping both games of a doubleheader to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
"It's satisfying to get a win like this because you have to work so hard to get it," said Worley. "We made some good plays in the field and got the hits when we needed them. This is good for us after some tough losses."
The Phils are expecting their All-Star second baseman back in the lineup.
Chase Utley played with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday night and is close to returning to play. He could be in the lineup for Wednesday's game after being out for the entire season thus far with chondromalacia in his left knee.
Michael McKenry went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBI for the Pirates, who have dropped three straight. Erik Bedard (4-8) gave up four runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts over six innings.
"They had four after three and that was about it, he gave us a chance to win," said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle about Bedard. "Aside from a few pitches here and there, he had a good night."
Pittsburgh threatened in the first as Jose Tabata was hit by a pitch to start the game and Neil Walker followed with a walk. A groundout from Andrew McCutchen advanced the runners a base. Garrett Jones then hit a dribbler back to the mound which Worley fielded with his glove and scooped it home to get Tabata. Casey McGehee then hit into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
The Phillies struck for a run with two outs in the first as Hunter Pence tripled to right-center and Ruiz followed with a single.
Pittsburgh answered in the second after Pedro Alvarez doubled to lead off, moved to third on Clint Barmes' groundout and came home on McKenry's sacrifice fly.
The Phils, though, got it back in the bottom of the second as Placido Polanco's RBI single scored Mike Fontenot for a 2-1 lead.
It was a 4-1 game through three innings after Ruiz singled with one out in the third and Wigginton hit his eighth homer of the year to left.
Worley retired 10 straight batters before McKenry doubled with one out in the fifth. He took third on a sac bunt from Bedard, but Tabata grounded out to end the frame.
The Pirates did get one back in the sixth after McGehee's single plated McCutchen, who doubled two batters prior, and they made it a one-run game in the seventh.
Barmes led off with a walk and McKenry followed with a single. Drew Sutton then contributed a pinch-hit double that scored Barmes and put the go-ahead run at second base with no outs.
That brought on Michael Schwimer, who promptly got Tabata to ground out back to the mound, keeping the runners on base. Walker then hit a fly ball to left that John Mayberry caught. He came up firing and one-hopped the ball to the plate, easily beating McKenry as Ruiz applied the tag to end the frame.
In the eighth, the Pirates again got their leadoff man on as McCutchen doubled to start the inning. Josh Harrison attempted to bunt him to third, but he popped one behind the plate and Ruiz made a nice basket catch just before it got to the screen. McGehee then popped out and Alvarez struck out to end the threat.
Ruiz hit his homer in the eighth, and it proved fortunate as McKenry belted a solo shot with one out in the ninth off of Jonathan Papelbon.
However, Papelbon then got Alex Presley to fly out and struck out Tabata for his 18th save of the season.
Game Notes
Ruiz hit nine homers in 2009. He has 41 RBI on the season and is 13 away from his career-high set in 2007...Philadelphia has won seven of the last nine against Pittsburgh...The Pirates went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left six on base...James McDonald pitches for Pittsburgh on Wednesday while Raul Valdes is scheduled to make his first start of the season for the Phillies.
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