Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Match Player Stats On Mar 28, 2019

Derek Dietrich's pinch-hit three-run homer in his first at-bat with Cincinnati helped the Reds open the season Thursday with a 5-3 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jose Peraza was 2-for-4 with a solo homer, and Jose Iglesias hit two doubles, drove in a run and scored another for the Reds.

Jung Ho Kang hit a two-run single, and Corey Dickerson hit a solo homer for Pittsburgh.

Reds starter Luis Castillo, leaning heavily on an effective changeup, pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run and two hits, with three walks and eight strikeouts. Zach Duke (1-0) pitched two-thirds of an inning.

David Hernandez walked Pablo Reyes to load the bases with two outs in the ninth but got Dickerson to ground out on a 12-pitch at-bat for the save.

Pittsburgh starter Jameson Taillon (0-1) lasted six-plus innings. He allowed four runs and six hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.

The Pirates were without center fielder Starling Marte, who was a late scratch because of a migraine, and right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall, who has been diagnosed with a broken right index finger.

In the Cincinnati second, Peraza singled to left with one out. An out later, he scored on Iglesias' double off the wall in left for a 1-0 Reds lead.

Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead in the sixth with a two-out rally.

Josh Bell singled to right. It was only the Pirates' second hit, but it came on Castillo's 91st pitch, and he was lifted for Jared Hughes.

Francisco Cervelli singled to left, moving Bell to second. Kang followed with a hit to left, scoring Bell. When the throw went to second, Cervelli also raced home to make it 2-1.

Peraza led off the seventh with a homer to left for a 2-2 tie.

Tucker Barnhart followed with a walk and moved to third on Iglesias' double down the line in left. That chased Taillon. Dietrich, pinch-hitting, greeted reliever

Richard Rodriguez with a homer to right-center to give Cincinnati a 5-2 lead.

Dickerson cut that to 5-3 with a leadoff homer to right in the eighth.

--Field Level Media