PITTSBURGH -- Their bullpen nearly squandered another lead, the offense disappeared again after the first three innings. Even as the Pirates' season-long problems persisted, there was an encouraging sign.
Brian Giles hit his first two homers this season and Kris Benson pitched eight-plus innings as the Pirates ended a seven-game losing streak, holding off the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 Saturday night.
"Yeah, it was getting pretty depressing in here, and the guys were starting to feel the pressure of getting a win. We definitely needed a win," Benson said.
Giles, who returned Wednesday after sitting out nearly a month with a sprained knee, hit a two-run shot in the first and a solo drive in the third, both off Elmer Dessens.
The homers were Giles' first since he homered three times in three games during a season-ending series against the Cubs in September.
Arizona rallied for three runs in the ninth against Benson and relievers Scott Sauerbeck and Mike Williams. Pinch-hitter Quinton McCracken had a two-run double.
Benson (4-4) allowed eight hits, including a pair of leadoff doubles, but worked out of several jams. He made several mechanical adjustments during two bullpen sessions -- one more than usual -- after pitching a career-low 2 1-3 innings in an 8-1 loss to Houston on Monday. He responded by striking out five.
He was pulled after issuing his only walk leading off the ninth. Williams got the last two outs for his ninth save in 11 chances, striking out pinch-hitter David Dellucci and getting Junior Spivey to ground out weakly on a 3-2 check swing.
"It was frustrating to lose that game," Arizona manager Bob Brenly said. "But to get back in the game like that was good to see."
It was yet another near-collapse for a Pirates bullpen that gave up 19 runs during Houston's four-game sweep last week and has repeatedly failed to keep games close. The bullpen began the game with a 5.37 ERA -- a big reason why Pittsburgh has been outscored 117-51 from the third inning on.
"But you have to put the team first, and if that means Kris Benson doesn't get his complete game, it doesn't really matter," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "The object right now just is to win a game."
Despite the scare, the Pirates dodged their first eight-game losing streak since September 2000 and stopped a six-game home losing streak. Their 5-12 home record remains the NL's worst.
"We haven't done it so far, that's the bottom line," Williams said. "I'm sure any of the 25 guys will say it if you'll ask them. We're not playing the way we should be -- the hitters, the fielders, the guys in the bullpen."
That's why Benson was encouraged when, one night after being shut out 5-0 by Curt Schilling, the NL's weakest-hitting team opened a 3-0 lead in the first against Dessens (3-3). The one-time Pirates pitcher lost his fifth straight decision against his former club, yielding five hits and four runs in six innings.
"That really jump started the game for us," Benson said. "After that, I just had to keep them where they were."
Kenny Lofton singled to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, and Giles followed a batter later with a drive into the right-field seats. Giles, who averaged 37 homers in his first four Pirates seasons, had only four extra-base hits - all doubles in his first 40 at-bats.
"I wasn't concerned, because I know I'm going to get my home runs," said Giles, who is wearing a protective brace on his knee. "It's just a matter of me getting my timing back."
The Pirates, who had gone 54 consecutive innings at PNC Park without more than two hits in an inning, made it 3-0 when Randall Simon hit his third homer, an opposite-field homer to left with two outs.
Before Saturday, the Pirates had an NL-low six homers in 16 home games.
In the third, Giles added a solo shot that bounced off the last row of right-field seats, making him 16-for-31 with four homers and 11 RBI in his career against Dessens.
Dessens said the homers came on breaking pitches he left over the plate -- "The kind of mistakes you can't make against Brian Giles," he said.
Matt Williams doubled and scored on Danny Bautista's groundout in the fourth for Arizona. But the Diamondbacks gave the run back in the seventh on rookie shortstop Alex Cintron's run-scoring throwing error on Pokey Reese's infield single.
Notes: Giles was 1-for-12 in PNC Park this season before his two-homer night ... Dessens is 2-6 against Pittsburgh. ... Before winning, the Pirates were 1-6 at home against the NL West this season. ... Lofton is 16 for 40 (.400) during his hitting streak. ... Arizona has lost five of nine. ... Spivey's 11-game hitting streak ended as he went 0-for-5, striking out three times.
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