Karstens two-hits D-backs for win Right-hander loses perfect game with two outs in eighth By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com PHOENIX -- It was all Jeff Karstens at Chase Field on Wednesday afternoon, as one of the newest members of the organization came within four outs of doing what no other Pirates pitcher in the franchise's storied 122 years had never done before. Karstens came within four outs of pitching baseball's first perfect game since 2004. D-backs outfielder Chris Young broke up the bid with two outs in the eighth, when he laced a double down the left-field line. But that would be one of only two eventual blemishes of the afternoon for Karstens, as he carried the Pirates to a 2-0 win over Arizona at Chase Field with his two-hit shutout. Wednesday marked just the second Major League start for Karstens this season. Prior to being dealt to the Pirates in the trade that sent Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady to New York, Karstens had spent the season with the Yankees' Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre club. While there, he went 6-4 with a 3.80 ERA. He made his Pittsburgh debut last Friday, tossing six scoreless innings in a win against the Cubs. That scoreless-innings total has now run to 15 after Wednesday's gem. In the final game of a three-game series against Arizona, Karstens retired each of the first 23 hitters he faced, going to a three-ball count only twice. Second baseman Freddy Sanchez made two stellar defensive plays behind him, while a number of fly ball outs were caught at the wall. Karstens recorded the first two outs in the eighth with ease, before his 1-1 slider crept back over the plate to Young, who spoiled Karsten's flirtation with perfection. Karstens also allowed a leadoff walk in the ninth and another hit later in the final frame, but that was it. Fittingly, the last pitcher to throw a perfect game was actually Karstens' mound opponent on Wednesday, Randy Johnson. Johnson did so back on May 18, 2004, against the Braves. Johnson came into the game having pitched 21 straight scoreless innings himself, before giving up a fourth-inning home run to Sanchez. The home run was the eighth of the season for Sanchez and his sixth hit in three games after missing a week due to back injury. The Pirates would add their second run off Johnson in the eighth, after Karstens collected his second hit of the game. His single in the third was his first Major League hit. Third baseman Chris Gomez followed Karsten's eighth-inning hit with a single, before Doug Mientkiewicz drove Karstens in with an RBI double. --

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