Inside-the-park homer helps Pirates top Astros

Freddy Sanchez’s blast keyed a seven-run seventh inning in the Monday victory.

HOUSTON (AP) — Freddy Sanchez was tagged out going for an inside-the-park home run last season. He refused to let that happen again.

Sanchez hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer to cap a seven-run ninth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped a five-game skid with a 9-3 win over the Houston Astros on Monday night.

Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche also homered in the inning off Houston closer Jose Valverde, who came in with the Astros leading 3-2.

Sanchez’s shot off Tim Byrdak was Pittsburgh’s first inside-the-park home run since Chris Duffy hit one against the New York Yankees on June 8, 2007. It was the second inside-the-park homer against Houston at home this season — Chicago Cubs’ catcher Geovany Soto had one on May 19.

“I was just running as hard as I could,” said Sanchez, who went 3-for-6. “I gave it all I had. I got fortunate, I guess.”

As he rounded third, Sanchez had a flashback to a game against the Cubs last season, when he was out at the plate on an inside-the-park try.

“That was kind of going through my head,” he said.

Sanchez came into the game hitting .230 and was only 9-for-44 in July. He’s hoping a game like this will kick-start his season.

“I can’t look at what I did the first half,” he said. “I can only look at this half and that’s it. I’m just thinking at-bat to at-bat, not even day by day and doing whatever I can to help these guys.”

Valverde (4-3) had converted 23 of his last 25 save opportunities before Bay hit the tying solo homer off the facade in left-center, his 20th of the season.

Xavier Nady singled before LaRoche homered into the porch in left field. Jason Michaels walked and Jack Wilson added an RBI single later in the inning before Houston manager Cecil Cooper brought in Byrdak to relieve Valverde.

“He was giving a little too much of the plate,” Cooper said of his closer. “Sometimes, that happens. He just did not have real good control.”