Brad Penny, who showed faint signs of control problems in the first two innings, collapsed after walking opposing pitcher Ian Snell to start the third. He wound up walking three in the inning, including Adam LaRoche with the bases loaded to force in the tiebreaking run, then started off Xavier Nady with a wild pitch to score another run. Grady Little went to the mound after the walk to LaRoche, when Penny thought his 2-1 pitch was a strike but plate ump Joe West called it a ball. That visit clearly was as much about West as it was about Penny, because Grady stayed out there long enough for West to come to the mound to tell them to break it up, at which point West got an earful from Grady. On his way off the field, Grady kept talking, and West ran him from the game. Penny came back and struck out Nady to end the inning, punctuating it with an animated gesture that I’m not sure how to interpret, but what I am sure is that it wasn’t necessary. I’m also sure that the 2-1 pitch to LaRoche was low. Pirates 3, Dodgers 1, top 4