Field Level Media
May 27, 2019
Bryan Reynolds hit a tiebreaking two-run triple in the eighth inning and Starling Marte followed with a two-run homer to lift the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-5 win against the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of their doubleheader on Monday afternoon.
Adam Frazier and Colin Moran had two hits each for the Pirates, Josh Bell also homered, and Melky Cabrera had two hits and scored two runs. Pittsburgh had lost three in a row and five of six.
Pittsburgh starter Nick Kingham pitched a season-high 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hits, striking out five and walking one.
Kyle Crick (2-1) came in with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning and the Pirates holding a 4-3 lead. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Eugenio Suarez to tie the score at 4-4, but recorded the last out of the inning without further damage.
Felipe Vazquez replaced Crick with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth inning. He got the final out of the eighth before allowing a run in the ninth while notching his 14th save.
Reds starter Luis Castillo went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and six hits. He struck out four, walked four and hit a batter. David Hernandez (1-3) allowed all four runs in the eighth to take the loss.
Suarez and Joey Votto had three hits each, and Nick Senzel and Jesse Winker also had two hits apiece for the Reds.
Bell hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, his 17th of the season, to give the Pirates a 4-3 lead.
Kingham blanked the Reds for four innings before allowing three straight two-out run-scoring doubles to Senzel, Votto and Suarez to give the Reds a 3-1 lead after five innings.
Pittsburgh's leadoff batter reached base for the fourth time in the game when Cabrera singled to left in the sixth inning. Two straight defensive miscues by the Reds infield allowed the Pirates to pull within 3-2 before Gregory Polanco's pinch-hit RBI single made it 3-3.
--Field Level Media