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LAD@PIT: Walker's double breaks the tie in the eighth

PITTSBURGH -- It's only fitting that it would be the hometown kid, having endured every Pirates losing season along with the Pittsburgh fans, who would key the rally that lifted this club to a spot it hasn't been in almost seven years.

Neil Walker delivered an eighth-inning RBI double to break a tie with the Dodgers on Monday night and push the Pirates toward a 4-1 win in front of 11,373 at PNC Park. The victory gave the Pirates their first three-game winning streak of the season and bumped the team's record to 18-17.

Not since May 29, 2004, have the Pirates owned a record above .500 this late into the season. Ironically, it was only a few days later that Walker was taken by the organization in the first round of the First-Year Player Draft.

Walker stepped to the plate on Monday following a walk to Garrett Jones. With his pitch count at 99, Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley remained in the game to face Walker, who responded by sending a line drive down the right-field line. Xavier Paul, who had been inserted as a pinch-runner, scored from first.

Lyle Overbay and Ryan Doumit then followed with their own RBI doubles to right to pad the lead.

A relatively uneventful game turned animated just minutes earlier, when the Pirates were aided tremendously from a call by third-base umpire Mike DiMuro. One day after Andrew McCutchen's catch was called a trap, Jose Tabata's eighth-inning trap was ruled a catch.

Though replays showed Juan Uribe's line drive to left field bouncing into Tabata's glove, DiMuro ruled Uribe out. Tabata then threw to Walker, whose relay to first completed a double play.

While taking his position at third base before the bottom half of the frame, Uribe had to be restrained by teammates as he went after DiMuro. He was ejected, as was Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who had two lengthy arguments with DiMuro.

Pittsburgh's three-run eighth handed a win to Jose Veras, who pitched the scoreless eighth. He and three other relievers covered the final 3 1/3 innings after Jeff Karstens threw the first 5 2/3. In what was his fifth start in place of Ross Ohlendorf, Karstens continued the success that the Pirates' rotation has been enjoying of late.

Karstens grinded through a 28-pitch first, but limited the damage to one run on three hits. The Dodgers did not score off him again. Karstens' start was sealed when Michael Crotta came in from the bullpen and stranded two runners with a first-pitch groundout. Add in Karstens' night, and the Pirates' rotation has allowed only five earned runs in its last turn through the rotation (32 1/3 innings).

After falling into that early one-run deficit, the Pirates used Ronny Cedeno's leadoff single in the third to even the game at 1. Cedeno moved to second on a two-out walk before Jones drove him home with a single to center.

Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, By Gosh, It's Langosch, and follow her on Twitter @LangoschMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.