PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Most of Chad Kuhl’s family and friends sat in the family section at Citizens Bank Park Thursday night, but his brother-in-law scored seats right behind the visitors’ dugout. He spent the evening lobbying manager Clint Hurdle to let Kuhl, the Bear, Del., native who for various reasons has pitched a string of shorter-than-desirable outings, to go out for the seventh inning.
“These guys need to continue to knock down mile markers as they go along to become big league starting pitchers and he was able to do that one tonight,” Hurdle said.
Kuhl completed seven innings for the first time in his major league career, but surrendered a lead in doing so. Josh Bell played the savior in the eighth, the same as he did in the fourth, and the Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies for the third consecutive game, 6-3. The Pirates (40-46) took three of four from the Phillies but remain seven games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. They have a quick turnaround: After a late flight, they begin a three-game series against the Cubs Friday afternoon in Chicago.
Kuhl pitched into the seventh inning for the first time since his second start of the season, April 13 against the Boston Red Sox.
“Obviously awesome,” Kuhl said. “Set a career high in innings, just awesome.”
Kuhl gave up three runs, two earned, and six hits, all but one of them a single. But that one double, from Tommy Joseph in the seventh, hurt.
Maikel Franco singled with one out before Joseph lined a ball to left field, putting runners on second and third for Aaron Altherr. Altherr split the gap in left-center to drive in both runners and tie the score, 3-3.
Three batters in the middle of the Pirates order — Andrew McCutchen, Bell and Gregory Polanco — combined to go 9 for 13 with two home runs and five RBIs. They produced three runs in the fourth and three more in the eighth to break the tie.
“That’s scary,” Kuhl said. “You go through a lineup and that’s a scary lineup.”
McCutchen hit his second double of the night with one out in the eighth. Bell pulled a double just inside first base to drive in McCutchen. Polanco, who went 4 for 4 with a homer, singled to drive in Bell, and Elias Diaz followed with an RBI double.
The 1993-2012 Pirates had some inventive ways to allow runs, but in the recent, competitive era, the way the Phillies first scored Thursday was a new one.
Catcher Andrew Knapp reached on a leadoff walk in the third inning. The next batter, Andres Blanco, swung and missed at a pitch and sent his bat flying into the seats down the first-base line. Bell, who had taken a few steps away from the bag as the pitch was thrown, turned and watched the flying lumber.
“I think a lot of the stadium was looking at the bat,” Bell said. “Tough situation. I was just happy to capitalize and make up for it.”
Another projectile would soon pass in front of his gaze: the ball, which Bell said he heard sizzle past. Diaz threw to first to back-pick Knapp, but Bell, watching the bat, didn’t see it. The ball whizzed into the right-field corner. Knapp lumbered to second. Polanco got a late jump on retrieving the throw. Knapp steamed toward third. Polanco finally got there and threw in, but the runner had already crossed the plate.
“Diaz made a perfect pick-off throw and I’ve never seen that play before, ever,” Hurdle said. “Where a bunch of eyes follow the bat. Unfortunately there was a throw that the runner was picked off. Thankfully it wasn’t at his body or it would have hit him. Then he’s able to respond immediately with a home run, a two-run homer to pick it up.”
Bell atoned for the play the following inning.
With McCutchen on second, Bell lofted an opposite-field homer, his 16th, to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Polanco followed two batters later with a rocket home run to right, his seventh.
