It’s Owings to the rescue for Arizona

PHOENIX -- Micah Owings isn’t a good hitter for a pitcher. He’s a good hitter, period.

Owings proved it again Wednesday with an opposite-field, pinch-hit home run that tied the score in the sixth and helped the Arizona Diamondbacks rally from four runs down to beat the Houston Astros, 8-7.

“I’ve been blessed to be able to swing it,” Owings said, “so every time I get in the box I do my best to help this team.”

Owings, 4-0 as a starter and arguably the best hitting pitcher in baseball, hit the first pitch from reliever Dave Borkowski into the right-field seats, a two-run shot with two outs that tied it at 7-7.

Chris Young followed with a double, then scored the go-ahead run on Eric Byrnes’ single.

Owings raised his season average to .421 (eight for 19). A silver-slugger winner last year when he batted .333, Owings has five home runs in 79 at-bats over his two big league seasons.

“I don’t think you’ve seen a guy like this,” teammate Conor Jackson said. “I mean, Babe Ruth? That’s really all that comes to mind. It’s pretty impressive.”

The last pitcher to hit a pinch-hit homer was Brooks Kieschnick on April 22, 2004, for Milwaukee against Arizona.