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PITTSBURGH -- Desperate for a clutch hit, the Pittsburgh Pirates turned to their "sparkplug" in the 10th inning Monday.

Freddy Sanchez delivered just the jolt that the Bucs needed in their win, 3-2, over the Florida Marlins before a Memorial Day crowd of 17,379 at PNC Park.

With runners at first and third base and two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Sanchez singled to right field off Marlins reliever Todd Jones (2-2) to chase home Jack Wilson with the winning run.

"I just told myself to stay relaxed. My first few at-bats I was trying to do too much," said Sanchez, who was 0-for-5 before his game-winning hit.

"You don't want to end up 0-for-5. You want to go up there and you want to try to do something to help the team win. Fortunately I got that last at-bat."

If he didn't have it already, Sanchez has certainly earned the respect of his managers and teammates in the past few days.

Saturday, he received a gash in his hand when a piece of a broken bat struck him. Faced with the decision to get out of the way or get hit by the splintered wood while trying to cut down the winning run at the plate, Sanchez chose the latter. Nine s ches later, he was back in the lineup Sunday.

"There was nothing that was going to keep me out," said Sanchez. "It's no big deal. It's a cut. It's s ches."

Sanchez's at ude, perhaps as much as .286 batting average, has led to increased playing time for the utility man. Monday was his fourth consecutive start, and Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said that there would be more to come.

"He's been our little sparkplug," said McClendon. "He's shown a lot of guts playing hurt and getting it done any way that he can.

"If those things can't inspire you and your teammates then they're uninspirable. The guy has got a lot of guts and he deserves to be in there. For me, he's going to play."

Consider the Pirates inspired.

"He is definitely an energetic player," said catcher David Ross. "He brings a lot to the field every day. It's fun to watch how much passion he has when he plays."

Prior to Sanchez's heroics, the Pirates were an abysmal 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. The game was becoming ominously reminiscent of the Pirates' 2-1 loss to the Cardinals six days earlier. In that game, the Bucs had 18 base runners but did not score after their first hit.

"This game was kind of like that," said Sanchez. "We got a lot of guys on base, and we didn't get that clutch hit. But we battled. Things happen when you keep fighting."

Thanks in part to 10 free passes from Marlins pitchers, Pittsburgh put runners on base in every inning. However, doubles by Daryle Ward and Ross in the second inning accounted for the Pirates' only run for the first seven innings.

"Déjà vu all over again," McClendon quipped. "It was frustrating. We certainly had opportunities through the first seven innings to drive in some runs and open things up a little bit."

The Bucs tied the game in the eighth inning despite going 0-for-4 with RISP during the frame. Ward walked and Jose Castillo singled. After Ross' sacrifice bunt attempt resulted in a force out at third base, Wilson grounded to second base in what appeared to be a tailor-made double play. But shortstop Alex Gonzalez could not handle second baseman Luis Castillo's throw cleanly, and the ball rolled far enough away to allow Jose Castillo to race home with the tying run. Pinch-hitter Tike Redman drew a walk to load the bases before Sanchez popped out to first base to end the threat.

Despite the missed opportunities, the Pirates were able to stay close because of another solid effort by starter Mark Redman and four shutout innings from relievers Brian Meadows, Mike Gonzalez and Rick White.

Redman limited the Marlins to two runs on four hits and two walks in six innings. He is tied with Washington's Livan Hernandez for the Major League lead with 10 quality starts.

White (2-2), who was aided in the 10th inning by a sliding catch by center fielder Rob Mackowiak with the potential go-ahead run standing at second base, tossed the final two scoreless frames for the win.

The win was the first for the Pirates in their eight one-run games at PNC Park, and improved their overall record in one-run games to 4-11. Seven of their previous 10 losses have been in one-run games.

"Those [losses] are tough. You lose a lot of sleep when that happens," said McClendon. "It's nice to win one."

Ed Eagle is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.