Pittsburgh Pirates defeated by Cincinnati Reds 1-4 – MLB News
Pittsburgh Pirates defeated by the Cincinnati Reds 1-4 in the first game of their four-match regular series encounter on Monday, June 17, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
Pirates played poorly throughout the game and lost bitterly in the end. Their batters and pitchers did not perform well especially against the Reds offensive pitching lineup and lost the very first game of the series.
"That one felt pretty good, He tried to get one past in Pittsburgh and I got enough of it to get a single. I was looking for it, and got my (front) foot down sooner and got some good wood on it," Todd Frazier said.
Only few Pirates’ players showed little resistance while rest of the roster could not do much. Centre fielder Andrew McCutchen scored one run on two hits and maintained his slugging percentage at .459.
Not only batters, the Pirates pitchers also played under pressure. Francisco Liriano pitched six innings and allowed two runs on five hits. He also allowed two earned runs along with two homers on 2.44 ERA.
"He's been doing this for three months now and building up to this, That's a guy that can pitch. That's what he's evolved into. He pitched as well as I've ever seen him," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
Closer Bryan Morris pitched two innings and allowed two runs on three hits. He also allowed two earned runs and two homers as his ERA rose to 2.35.
"I'm a little bit more motivated, I think my head's back in college, pitching-wise, and I'm thinking a little better," Mike Leake said.
On the other hand, the Reds hitters and at the same time pitchers played wonderfully and won the game in style. Starting pitcher Mike Leake pitched seven solid innings and allowed one run on six hits as his ERA remained consistent
at 2.64.
Along with pitchers, the Reds upfront hitters also showed great commitment and hammered the Pirates pitchers with great force. First baseman Joey Votto scored one run on two hits. He ran for an RBI on his four at bats while he
also remained consistent at .509.
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