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D'backs resume set with Bucos in Steel City

The Arizona Diamondbacks continue their quest for the National League West crown tonight when they resume a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

However, Arizona's goal for the division title hit a speed bump yesterday when the club was handed a 6-5 defeat by Pittsburgh in the series opener. Josh Phelps drove in the winning run with an eighth-inning single.

Nyjer Morgan hit his first major league home run for the Pirates, who stopped a nine-game losing streak that had dropped them into last place in the NL Central. Ian Snell allowed one run on seven hits with four walks and six strikeouts over six innings for the Bucs, while Matt Capps tossed a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 21 chances.

Tony Clark ended 2-for-4 and scored twice for the Diamondbacks, who lost their second straight. Arizona's lead for first place in the standings also dipped to two over second-place San Diego, which downed San Francisco on Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks' magic number to earn the division crown remains at four. The franchise is seeking its first division title since 2002.

The Diamondbacks send Livan Hernandez to the mound tonight, and the Cuban is 11-10 with a 4.85 earned run average. Hernandez is coming off a victory in his last start and also surpassed the 200-inning plateau for the ninth time in his career in that outing, which came on Friday against Los Angeles. The right- hander held the Dodgers to three runs on 10 hits over six innings of a 12-3 victory.

Hernandez has made 11 career starts against Pittsburgh, and is 3-3 with a 5.10 ERA against them. That includes three complete game efforts.

Matt Morris will make his 11th start tonight since joining the Pirates. He has lost his last two outings, allowing 13 runs over just 7 1/3 innings of work, including Thursday against the Padres when he gave up six runs and eight hits over four frames. Morris, who began the season with San Francisco, is 9-11 with a 5.02 ERA through 32 total starts this season.

The right-hander, who is 2-4 with a 6.71 ERA since joining Pittsburgh, is 0-2 in three starts against Arizona this season. All of those outings came while he was with the Giants, and Morris is 4-5 with a save and 3.19 ERA in 13 career outings (11 starts) against the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks have won four of their seven meetings with the Pirates this year, and is 9-4 versus the club over the past two seasons.

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