Reds: RHP Dan Straily (6-6, 3.80 ERA) will start Sunday in the finale of the three-game series and try to extend his streak of six straight quality starts.
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In his first start back from Tommy John surgery, Homer Bailey didn’t look like a pitcher who had thrown in just four games over the previous two years.
PITTSBURGH (AP) – From the get-go, Billy Hamilton could not be contained Sunday.
“My job is to get on base and get into scoring position for these guys behind me to drive me in”, Hamilton said.
“There wasn’t acute pain but I just didn’t feel very good, ” Bailey said. Hamilton led off with a double to the right-field corner, stole third and scored an out later on Votto’s sacrifice fly to left to make it 3-0. Dellin Betances got four outs for his second save as NY took two of three from the AL Central leaders and finished 5-2 in the season series.
Three hits, three runs scored, four stolen bases and a leaping, backhand catch in center field.
“We weren’t where we wanted to be with it”. Manager Clint Hurdle said there is no room for Locke in the rotation following the trade for Nova and the activation of RHP Ryan Vogelsong on Thursday from the disabled list. “It’s my responsibility to take care of that and everybody has different jobs to do”.
That was enough for Reds manager Bryan Price, who came out to get Bailey.
Pirates catcher Eric Fryer crushed a ball to center field that turned Hamilton around twice.
“I did what I wanted to do – be a little bit aggressive in the strike zone, ” Nova said. “That ball, it started off over one of his shoulders, kind of knuckled back”. “I’m obviously very frustrated by it”. I hung a slider. Harrison hit a deep drive to left and almost tied the game with his second homer of the day the ball went foul, and he ended up striking out.
Pirates starter Gerrit Cole (7-7) gave up four runs on three hits through 5 2/3 innings, with three walks and six strikeouts.
After making short work through the first four innings, Straily needed 26 pitches to get out of the fifth. Hughes – who has now given up 45 hits and 14 walks in 36.2 innings this season, allowed a series of singles, including one that scored a run.
The latest occurrence came Friday night when Sean Rodriguez homered to open the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-2 victory. Nova gave up six hits without walking a batter on the evening, and two of those hits were Brandon Phillips solo homers.
After Cole departed, the bullpen stumbled as Jared Hughes allowed three seventh-inning runs.
“You’re not going to be able to stop Hamilton every time, but a walk to start off the game is pretty much a triple within four or five pitches”, Cole said. “That’s not going to get the job done”.
Brandon Phillips led off the inning with a home run to left, his first home run in 72 games and 286 at-bats, the longest home run drought of his career.
Looming large in this inning, as with at least a couple others today, was Hamilton, who scored the third run – he’s a bad hitter, but when he reaches, he’s absolutely toxic. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, among Pirates players to debut in the past 40 seasons, only three totaled 200 extra-base hits with the club in fewer games: Barry Bonds (465 games), Andrew McCutchen (493 games) and Aramis Ramirez (564 games).
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Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (1-0, 4.19) will make his first start for Pittsburgh since July 17 on Tuesday, when he faces the San Diego Padres at PNC Park.
