Pittsburgh Pirates defeat Cincinnati Reds 5-3 to level series – MLB Update
The Pittsburgh Pirates edged past the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh inning to defeat them 5-3 after an intense encounter at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 20.
The Reds took an early advantage at the top of the first inning when Brandon Phillips scored the first of his two runs for the evening. The Pirates remained silent for the initial three innings but then made a strong reply with three quick-runs in two innings.
Andrew McCutchen scored in the fourth inning for the Pirates, Jose Tabata and Garrett Jones added a run each in the fifth inning to register a two-run lead over the Reds.
Phillips replied for the Reds in the sixth inning to reduce the deficit to just one run before Drew Stubbs levelled the score at the top of the seventh inning helped by Ramon Hernandez’s RBI effort.
McCutchen proved his mettle yet again for the Pirates as he channelled his team to a one-run lead once again at the bottom of the seventh inning before Ryan Ludwick added another run to register what turned out to be an incontrovertible two-run lead.
Charlie Morton was strong at the mound for the Pirates with his six innings going for just two runs amid seven hits. It was Tony Watson, however, who won his first game by pitching a near-perfect seventh inning. Watson displayed great character pitching
under-pressure and in the end, came out victorious to register his first win for the season.
Jose Veras and Joel Hanrahan then took on the reins to see the Pirates through with their experienced pitching deep in the game. Veras held his 23rd game of the season while Hanrahan improved his record to 31 saves thus far in the year.
Aroldis Chapman was the unlucky pitcher for the Reds as he leaked two runs too-much in the seventh inning for his first loss this season with two wins already to his credit.
The three-game series is now squared at one game each with the third game scheduled for Sunday, August 21. It will be interesting to see how the Reds stage a comeback after having scored 11 runs in the first game.
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