Pirates 9, Diamondbacks 8 (15th inning)
PITTSBURGH -- Pedro Florimon's triple in the bottom of the 15th inning gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a 9-8 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night after they blew a late five-run lead.
Catcher Francisco Cervelli hit a two-out single off rookie left-handed reliever Keith Hessler (0-1) for his fourth hit of the game and Florimon, who entered the game at shortstop as a defensive replacement, followed with a triple off the right-field wall.
The National League wild card-leading Pirates (70-47) won for the fifth time in six games.
The Pirates led 8-3 after seven innings but the Diamondbacks (58-60) scored three times in the eighth inning then two earned runs off closer Mark Melancon on a pair of errors in the ninth to force extra innings.
The Diamondbacks, who lost for the fourth time in six games, tied it at 8-8 when first baseman Sean Rodriguez let first baseman Paul Goldschmidt's grounder roll between his legs for a three-base error.
Pinch hitter Ender Inciarte reached first to lead off the inning when third baseman Jung Ho Kang booted his ground ball. Third baseman Aaron Hill kept the rally alive with a two-out single before Rodriguez, who entered the game in the eighth as a defensive replacement for Pedro Alvarez, had his miscue.
It was just the second blown save of the season for Melancon, who leads the major leagues with 37 saves.
Hill had three hits for the Diamondbacks, who are averaging 5.24 runs in 17 games in July, and center fielder A.J. Pollock added two.
The Diamondbacks got within 8-6 with their three-run eighth after left-handed starter Francisco Liriano did not retire either of the two batters he faced in the inning.
Goldschmidt drew a bases-loaded walk from reliever Jared Hughes, catcher Welington Castillo hit a sacrifice fly and right fielder Yasmany Tomas had an RBI single.
Kang and left fielder Starling Marte both homered and also had two hits along with Alvarez, right fielder Gregory Polanco and center fielder Andrew McCutchen.
Right-handed reliever Joe Blanton (3-0) pitched three scoreless relief innings for the win.
Kang's homer was a solo shot in the seventh inning, his 10th of the season, off Josh Collmenter that seemed to put the Pirates safely ahead at 8-3.
Diamondbacks starter Chase Anderson was tagged for seven runs -- five earned -- and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. The right-hander has a 7.59 ERA in his last eight starts after posting a 2.84 mark through his first 13 starts of the season.
In seven-plus innings, Liriano allowed five runs and six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Liriano remained unbeaten in nine starts since his last loss June 20 at Washington, though his team's ninth-inning meltdown cost him what would have been his fifth win in that stretch.
It was the longest game by innings for the Pirates since they played 16 innings against the Diamondbacks at PNC Park on Aug. 18, 2013. Arizona played a 17-inning game May 31 at Milwaukee.
Marte's 14th home run of the season, leading off the third inning, put the Pirates ahead 4-3.
The Pirates extended the lead to 7-3 with a three-run fifth. Alvarez hit a two-run single with two outs to chase Anderson, and Cervelli greeted reliever Josh Collmenter with an RBI single.
Both pitchers drove in runs in the second inning. Anderson's squeeze-bunt single scored shortstop Nick Ahmed, who had tripled, then Liriano hit an RBI double in the bottom half.
The Diamondbacks jumped on Liriano for two runs in the top of the first. Consecutive singles by Pollock, Hill and Goldschmidt to open the game produced the first run, and the second scored on a double-play ball.
The Pirates answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back sacrifice flies by McCutchen and third baseman Aramis Ramirez.
NOTES: Diamondbacks OF Ender Inciarte, who has started at all three outfield spots in the past week, was rested as Arizona started an outfield of LF David Peralta, CF A.J. Pollock and RF Yasmany Tomas. ... Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said he feels pitch location, rather than fatigue, is the primary reason RHP Gerrit Cole has gone 0-3 with a 4.70 ERA in four August starts after entering the month with a major league-league 14 wins. ... The three-game series concludes on Wednesday night with Arizona LHP Robbie Ray (3-8, 3.29 ERA) facing Pittsburgh LHP J.A. Happ (0-1, 4.66 ERA).