Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens, center, is greeted by teammates in between innings after giving up a double to Arizona Diamondbacks' Chris Young which broke up his perfect game during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008, in Phoenix. At left is Pirates' Chris Gomez (5) and Jack Wilson (2).

PHOENIX (AP) — Jeff Karstens has given the Pittsburgh Pirates a perfect start.



Almost a perfect game, too.



The recently acquired right-hander set down his first 23 batters before Chris Young's two-out double in the eighth inning and finished with a two-hitter Wednesday in a 2-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.



"We knew what he was capable of doing," Pirates manager John Russell said. "We had very good reports on him. The biggest thing is he throws strikes. That's a great asset for any pitcher."



Karstens (2-0) has tossed 15 scoreless innings — against a pair of first-place teams — since coming to Pittsburgh in a six-player trade July 26 that sent outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees. This masterpiece followed a 3-0 victory Friday over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.



"It's been a big change," Karstens said.