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Thursday, Jun. 22 7:05pm ET
Vidro, Expos topple Pirates | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MONTREAL (AP) -- Jose Vidro saw the pitch, but couldn't believe it. "It was a fastball, right down the middle," Vidro said of an 0-2 pitch he hit for a two-run homer in the second inning off Todd Ritchie that helped the Montreal Expos beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Thursday night. "I saw that pitch and I just wanted to make contact. I guess he missed his spot, and I took advantage of it." Vidro, who went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .368, had an RBI single in the first off Ritchie (4-4). He also led off the eighth with a single. Dustin Hermanson (6-4) recovered from a three-run first inning, retiring 14 of 15 batters after Bruce Avens' two-out, RBI double put the Pirates ahead 3-0. "I just tried to make an adjustment and start using my offspeed stuff to get them out in front, and after that first inning we were fine," Hermanson said. "We mixed them up great and got them out on their front feet where they weren't sitting on the fastball." Warren Morris doubled off Hermanson to begin the game, took third on Jason Kendall's single and scored on John Vander Wal's sacrifice fly. Brian Giles doubled home Kendall and scored on Aven's double. Hermanson allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings for his first win in four starts since rejoining the starting rotation on June 5 after filling in for injured closer Ugueth Urbina. "My last three starts I felt real good," Hermanson said. "This is just one to build on. You just have to remain positive." Anthony Telford got four outs for his first save of the season. Montreal closed in the first on Vidro's RBI single and Vladimir Guerrero's run-scoring grounder. In the second, Hermanson's two-out grounder to shortstop Pat Meares became a three-base error -- Aven, playing left -- threw his glove at the ball and just missed striking it as it rolled to wall in left-center. "I had to stop my direction and cut back the other way," Aven said. "Then I looked down and I knew there was no way I could dive or anything to stop it. ... I felt like it was going to be an inside-the-parker so out of desperation I kind of chunked the glove. "It didn't hit me until after it happened and I was chasing the ball and thinking, 'I can't believe I just threw my glove!"' Hermanson then scored to make it 3-all after Peter Bergeron's grounder went through the legs of first baseman Kevin Young for a two-base error. Vidro's homer made it 5-3. "Most players say, 'after an error, here comes a big hit', and that's what happened tonight," Vidro said. Ritchie allowed five runs -- just two earned -- and five hits in six innings. Fernando Seguignol's RBI single in the seventh put Montreal up 6-3, but the Pirates scored a pair in the eighth on Meares' run-scoring single and Morris' RBI grounder. "One thing this team's not going to do is give up," Kendall said. "It doesn't matter if it's 10-1 or 1-0, we're going to go out and keep battling and see what happens." Game notesA woman sitting behind the Expos' dugout was struck in the face when Giles' bat went sailing into the stands as he swung and missed a pitch in the sixth. The woman, whose face was bloodied, was attended to by stadium security personnel and assisted from her seat. ... Giles made an outstanding catch on White's drive to deep center following Vidro's single in the eighth, and relayed the ball to easily double up Vidro, who was well past second when Giles made the catch with his back to home plate. ... White returned to the lineup after missing the first three games of the series with a sore left knee. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Pittsburgh Clubhouse Montreal Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 4 NY Yankees 2
Montreal 6
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