Pittsburgh catcher redeems himself with slam vs. Cards

Published Thursday, August 2, 2007

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Tony Armas waited all season for a night like this. Ronny Paulino could barely wait 24 hours to make up for a forgettable game that turned some of his own fans against him.

Ronny Paulino quieted some loud booing with a grand slam during a five-run Pittsburgh first inning, and Tony Armas won as a starter for the first time in more than 10 months to carry the Pirates past St. Louis 15-1 last night.

Armas (1-3) became only the second Pirates pitcher to win since the All-Star break, limiting the Cardinals to Aaron Miles’ first home run over 61/3 innings for his first victory since beating the Mets while with Washington on Sept. 24, 2006.

Pittsburgh had season highs in runs (15) and hits (20), scoring seven runs in the eighth against Mike Maroth. It was the Pirates’ most lopsided victory since June 11, 2005, when they beat Tampa Bay 18-2.

"This was a breath of fresh air," said Jack Wilson, who hit a solo homer. "We had a lot of really good at-bats."

The loss was the Cardinals’ most lopsided since June 20, 2006, when they dropped a 20-6 decision to the White Sox.

The Cardinals were denied their first five-game winning streak since they won seven in a row in early July 2006. The Pirates had lost their last four and seven of eight and were 2-14 since the break.

Braden Looper (8-9) dominated the Pirates in his first two starts against them this season, allowing only one run in 13 innings. But his first inning rapidly came apart after he retired the first two batters as Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche and Jason Bay singled in succession to make it 1-0.

Paulino, booed upon being introduced because of his two fielding misplays that helped St. Louis to a 6-4 victory Tuesday, followed with a drive into a left field walkway to put the Pirates up 5-0. Paulino’s grand slam was the first of his career and Pittsburgh’s first this season.

"That was hard, that’s the first time in my career that’s happened to me," Paulino said of the booed. "But they pay to see a good show and they can do whatever they feel like."

Manager Jim Tracy talked with Paulino before yesterday’s game, reinforcing that he is the Pirates’ catcher and the way to overcome the ups and downs of the game is to play hard and concentrate.

"He’s got a lot of faith in me," said Paulino, who is hitting .239. "He knows I can do better. He’s a person that has given me a lot of respect, and I wanted to come back and play well."