The Buccos are in first place, but...

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Pirates handle Astros again By Rob Biertempfel [The greatest name in sports journalism ever]

Not getting much run support early in the season took a toll on Pirates right-hander Kevin Correia.

The Pirates scored more than four runs just once in his first nine starts, and he went 1-5 with a 4.29 ERA. The offense began revving up in June, and Correia has won four of his past five decisions, including a 6-4 triumph Wednesday over the Houston Astros before a full house at PNC Park.

Shrugging off a 2-0 deficit, the Pirates banged out 10 hits, including an RBI double by Michael McKenry and a two-run single by Pedro Alvarez.

“It frees you up to go out and not try to be so fine the whole game,” Correia said. 

“If you give up some runs early, you know you’re still in the game. You’re not out there thinking, ‘Aw, man, I already lost this one.’ You know if you buckle down, you’ve got a good chance to win. It’s a much better mindset to have on the mound.”

At 45-36, the first-place Pirates are one victory better at the season’s midpoint than they were in 1992, which was the last time the club finished with a winning record and went to the playoffs.

Correia (5-6) pitched six innings, and allowed three runs and six hits. It was his fourth win in 19 starts at PNC Park since joining the Pirates, but it was the first time he’d beaten a National League team at home.

“It’s just a weird stat,” Correia said. “I’ve had weird things happen to me (at PNC Park) since I’ve been here. Hopefully, I can get a few more wins here before we’re done.”

The Pirates have scored at least four runs in each of their past nine games. It’s their longest string since reeling off nine straight from Aug. 3-12, 2005.

“We’ve said from the get-go that things would eventually turn around,” said McKenry, who went 2 for 3 with two RBI. “We kept our heads on straight and continued to work. We didn’t let little things bring us down. It’s paid off.”

The Pirates have 23 come-from-behind wins this season.

“We don’t get overwhelmed when we’re down,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was more challenging the first two months of the season. There’s definitely more confidence in the dugout now, throughout the game. From the top to the bottom of the lineup, everybody feels they can be a part of an inning — creating (a rally), extending it, driving in a run, scoring a run.”

The Pirates took a 3-2 lead in the second inning. Casey McGehee walked and went to third on Garrett Jones’ double. It was a gutsy play by Jones, who seemed to surprise center fielder Jordan Schafer by rounding first base hard on what at first appeared to be a routine single.

Pedro Alvarez walked. McKenry’s fly ball scored McGehee. Clint Barmes lined an RBI single to left.

Barmes tried to take an extra base but was tagged out by second baseman Jose Altuve. Barmes stayed alive long enough for Alvarez to make a heads-up dash for the plate to make it 3-2.

Jones singled with one out in the fourth. Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (1-1) worked carefully against Alvarez, who walked on six pitches. McKenry poked an RBI double into left field.

The Pirates added two runs in the seventh. Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen singled. Jones reached on an error, loading the bases.

Alvarez lined a two-run single up the middle. In his career, Alvarez is batting .667 with 23 RBI with the bases loaded.