Hitting with two outs a big part of offensive success vs. Diamondbacks.

PHOENIX — The bad news for the Pirates is they didn’t start many innings well during a threegame road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The good news is they were two-out machines.

The Pirates scored six total runs Friday and Saturday, squeaking out a couple of wins at Chase Field, and each run came with two outs. They added two more two-out runs in an 8-0 victory Sunday.

Manager Clint Hurdle called two-out rallies “body punches” to opposing teams, and Neil Walker said scoring with two away is “one of the toughest things to do in baseball.”

Walker dealt the Diamondbacks a number of body blows. With Andrew McCutchen mired in an 0-for-16 slump, seven of Walker’s first eight at-bats of the series came with two outs. He collected 4 hits, 3 doubles and 2 RBIs. He also scored twice, including the winner in the top of the ninth Saturday.

“It's a mentality of not giving in,” Walker said. “Sometimes you make two quick outs and you want to try to really force something, try to drive the ball out of the ballpark or do a little too much. At times, you've got to rein it back.”

Walker, a career .253 two-out hitter, is 10 of 25 with two away this season. And it’s not just him. Entering Sunday, the Pirates’ batting average (.260) and on-base percentage (.315) with two outs were both more than 40 points better than with one or zero outs.

Granted, the sample size includes just 18 games, but it is still a marked improvement. Over the course of the 2014 season, the Pirates’ team batting average was more than 15 points worse with two outs than with one or none.

Of the Pirates’ 78 total RBIs this season, 32 have come with two outs. Less than a third of their runscoring production last season came with two outs.

“You hear pitcher's talk about it all the time — you don't want to walk guys with two outs,” Walker said. “So you try not to do too much as a hitter. If you get into hitting counts or get into a 31, 3-2 count, they're probably not going to nibble.”

Cardinals lose ace

Hurdle said it was “a little sickening” to hear the news that St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright has an apparent Achilles injury that will likely end his season.

“It's sad,” Hurdle said. “He's as good a man as there is in the game.”

Wainwright, 33, allowed just four runs in 25 innings over four starts this month.

“This guy is fierce,” Hurdle said. “He battles. I wish him a speedy recovery. I appreciate him and what he's done for the game, the way he's helped a lot of men in a lot of different uniforms grow up and perform.”

The injury happened when Wainwright hit a pop fly and hobbled out of the batter’s box. Hurdle said the manner in which Wainwright was injured would not change his feelings on whether the National League should adopt the designated-hitter rule.

“Overreaction is never a good reaction,” Hurdle said. “I’m not a fan of the DH.”