Padres, Headley Come Back To Haunt Pirates

The Padres fell behind 7-1 in the fourth inning against the Pirates, only to mount one of their best comebacks of the year. Chase Headley had 2 HR’s and 5 RBI’s, and the Padres won 9-8. The Padres have now won ten straight games at PNC Park.

The Friars got on the board early, when Alexi Amarista led the game off with a homer, his fifth of the year.

Pittsburgh scored single runs in the second and the third, before erupting with five runs in the fourth. The Pirates did most of the damage against Padres starter Edinson Volquez. Volquez got roughed up for the second consecutive outing, allowing six runs in 3.1 innings of work. He allowed two home runs, and also walked four.

The Padres looked dead, but the mighty bat of Headley awoke them from their slumber. The Padres scored six runs in the top of the sixth, keyed by a three-run blast by Headley. Jesus Guzman also chipped in with a two-run double. The Padres turned a six-run deficit, into a tie game, going into the bottom of the fifth.

Pittsburgh took the lead back in the bottom of the sixth, before Headley came through again.

Headley took Pirates reliever  Tony Watson deep — this time a two-run shot, to put the Padres up 9-8. Headley homered from both sides of the plate in the game, and set a new career-high in RBI’s, with 67.

Huston Street pitched a scoreless ninth, for his 21st save of the year. Street seemed to injure himself covering first base on the final out, and had to be helped off of the field. The injury is said to be a calf strain, and it appears that a trip to the disabled list is likely for the All-Star closer.