Pittsburgh PiratesvsCincinnati Reds
PIT 4/CIN 1
Things to say
The Pirates beat the Reds 4-1 in Cincinnati.
01
opener
Pirates took it 4-1 over at Great American. Low-scoring one, felt like a pitchers' duel most of the night. Pittsburgh just did enough with the bats.
02
key player
Their starter was the story for me. Got into his stuff early, went deep into the game and kept the Reds' heart of the order quiet all night.
03
hot take
One run at home in that bandbox? That's on the Reds' offense, not the pitching. Great American should never hold you to a single run.
04
deep cut
Little thing nobody mentions, the Pirates bullpen didn't blow it for once. They handed it off clean and slammed the door in the ninth.
05
exit
Anyway, Pirates back at .500. Curious if they can keep it rolling the rest of this series.
The recap
Pittsburgh went into Great American and put up a quiet 4-1 win over the Reds, and in a bandbox like that, holding Cincinnati to a single run is the whole story. The Pirates' pitching flat-out got into its stuff, keeping the heart of the Reds order off balance all night while the bullpen slammed the door late.
Four runs isn't a fireworks show, but on a getaway-day-type grind, that's plenty when your arms are dealing. Pirates climb back to .500 at 56-56, and the Reds keep sliding at 52-58.