Adam Frazier and Henry Davis each had two hits and an RBI, backing up a strong start from Andrew Heaney and helping the host Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
The Pirates put together back-to-back wins and won a series for the first time since April 22-23 against the Los Angeles Angels. The Reds dropped back-to-back games after winning five in a row.
Pittsburgh triumphed once again in a low-scoring pitcher’s duel as Heaney (3-3) gave up one run on three hits and two walks and struck out four in five innings.
Brady Singer (5-3) also went five innings for Cincinnati, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three.
The Pirates struck quickly in the first inning when Oneil Cruz singled and Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with a double. Bryan Reynolds drove in Cruz with a sacrifice fly.
The Reds tied the game in the top of the third when Austin Hays drove in Santiago Espinal, who had singled two batters earlier with two outs.
Pittsburgh put two runners on to start the fourth and capitalized, taking a 2-1 lead when Davis lined a ball to left field to score Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Tommy Pham also had two hits for the Pirates.
The Reds were limited to four hits and only Tyler Stephenson had an extra-base hit with a double off Chase Shugart in the sixth inning. On the play though, Spencer Steer, who singled earlier in the frame, was thrown out at home plate on a good relay throw from Kiner-Falefa after Pham got the ball back in quickly from left field.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen did the rest as Shugart, Tanner Rainey, Caleb Ferguson and Dennis Santana held the Reds to one hit. Santana picked up his fifth save, striking out two in the ninth.
Hayes scored an insurance run in the eighth when he doubled to center and scored on a single by Frazier.
–Field Level Media
