The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds continued their three-game series from Great American Ballpark on Tuesday night. Cincinnati won game one on Monday, but Pittsburgh would get a taste of revenge with a 6-2 victory in game two, snapping a 13-game road losing streak to the Reds. They would get a solid pitching performance from Mitch Keller, and put up a three spot in the eighth to clinch the win.
Keller would pitch 5.2 innings on the night and during that time allow two runs on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts. While the walk total was high, he didn’t allow the game to get away from him, which is something we saw for much of the year. The Reds got their first run in the second when Kyle Farmer scored on a groundout double play by Tucker Barnhart. Their final run of the night came in the fourth when TJ Friedl hit a sac fly to left.
The Pirates got their first run in the top of the fourth on a Ben Gamel solo homer to right. They would tie and take the lead for good in the fifth. An RBI single by Ke’Bryan Hayes tied the game at two. Hayes would then come around to score on a Cole Tucker single to center. All three runs were charged to Cincinnati starer Tyler Mahle.
The Pittsburgh offense would keep their foot on the gas in the eighth inning to break this game open. Michael Perez drove in Gamel with a single to right. With a runner on third, Hoy Park would hit a sac fly to left. The final run of the night came with Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a double to right to bring around Perez. Relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen was responsible for all three runs the Pirates scored in the inning.
The bullpen for Pittsburgh would cover the final 3.1 innings and allow three hits, to go with two walks and four strikeouts. The four pitchers used during that time were Anthony Banda, Nick Mears, Chasen Shreve, and Chris Stratton. On the offensive side of the ball Hayes would lead the team with three hits in five at bats, with a stolen base.
The finale of this series is scheduled to take place tomorrow afternoon at 12:35pm. It has yet to be determined who the starter for the Pirates will be, but the Reds will go with Luis Castillo. The game will also be the final time in 2021 that Pittsburgh will play in the Queen City.
Record vs. Reds: 4-11
Record vs. N.L. Central: 20-49
Record on the Road: 23-53
Overall Record: 57-94
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
