Dusty Coleman, Dinelson Lamet somehow too much for Pirates; Padres win, 5-2

The Pirates may have outlasted the lesser-known starting pitcher, but the light-hitting journeyman put the nail in their coffin on Saturday night.

Dinelson Lamet had his second straight strong start against the Pirates, no-hitting them into the fourth inning, then Dusty Coleman hit the knockout blow, a two-run home run in the eighth inning for a 5-2 Padres win over the Pirates.

Lamet, a 25-year-old who actually looks pretty good by his peripherals, had held the Pirates to two runs and two hits a week prior in San Diego. In Pittsburgh he mostly kept them off the bases before running into trouble in the sixth.

Starling Marte got hit by a pitch, leading off the bottom of the first, but was quickly erased on a double play. Lamet issued a two-out walk to Andrew McCutchen in the fourth, followed by Josh Bell’s knock to the hole between the first and second basemen for the Pirates’ first hit of the night. That resulted in nothing, though. Neither did a pair of walks to Adam Frazier and McCutchen in the sixth, which ended Lamet’s outing.

Lamet finished with five strikeouts, three walks and just the one hit in 5 2-3 innings.

While the Pirates got some life against the Padres’ bullpen, pulling within 3-2, Coleman struck in the eighth for the final, 5-2 San Diego edge, knocking a 96 MPH Daniel Hudson fastball into the center-field seats.

Coleman, a 30-year-old shortstop 23 career plate appearances in the Major Leagues entering the game and a .241/.317/.403 career line in the minors, finished 3-for-4 on the night.

Gerrit Cole was good, but not great, allowing eight hits and three runs in six innings. He struck out five and walked two.

Wil Myers did the damage against Cole, smacking an RBI double in the third for the game’s first run. It was a liner to left that, upon review, Starling Marte probably grabs most of the time.

With one on in the fifth, Myers clubbed a line shot that carried over the center-field wall for a 3-0 Padres lead.

Once beyond the spell of Lamet, the Pirates got a couple runs off Phil Maton in the seventh. Josh Harrison whacked a leadoff homer to center. Francisco Cervelli singled, then, with two outs, pinch-hitter David Freese singled and Marte walked to load the bases. For the second straight night Padres manager Andy Green went to left-hander Buddy Baumann to face one battter, Adam Frazier. Also for the second straight night, Frazier cracked a run-scoring single, this one plating Cervelli.

Baumann gave way to Craig Stammen, still with the bases loaded, but McCutchen hit an infield pop-up to end the inning.

Bell led off with a single in the eighth, but was cut down on a nice double play started by Coleman. The Pirates initially looked to be getting a break when Harrison’s grounder kicked off the mound, but Coleman ranged back behind second base to nab the ball and shuffled it to Yangervis Solarte at second, with plenty of time to turn two.

Bell finished 2-for-4, the only player with multiple hits for the Pirates.

Dovydas Neverauskas pitched the ninth for the Pirates, probably because he’ll be going back to Triple-A when George Kontos arrives. He hasn’t gotten as much of a look as I’d hoped for this year.

Jameson Taillon faces Clayton Richard on Sunday afternoon as the Pirates look to get their first series win in a little while.