Pittsburgh Pirates edge past Cincinnati Reds 4-1 – MLB Update
The Pittsburgh Pirates edge past the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 in the first game of their four-match regular series encounter on Monday, May 28 at PNC Park in 2012 Major League Baseball season and took an early strong lead into the series.
The Pirates played well throughout nine innings and defeated the Reds in great style.
Their pitchers’ especially James McDonald stood tall against the strong batting lineup of the Reds which never gave any loop holes throughout the game and eventually won the game.
McDonald pitched eight scoreless innings and gave just five hits. He also struck out five and maintained its 2.20 ERA.
"Certain guys got up and I would think about it, 'What if this happens? What if this happens?' Now I just don't care. It's a hitter up there and I've got a job to do and that's get him out. I think my mental approach is different," McDonald said.
Later Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said of McDonald’s performance, "He didn't have his best stuff today, but we didn't either, He threw a good game against us. We weren't swinging real good against him."
Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle also said of his team’s combined effort which is also a healthy sign for their upcoming games, "I like the direction we're headed, I'm easy to please and hard to satisfy."
From start to finish, the Pirates never gave any chance to the Reds’ offence to play easy as their pitchers were strong throughout the game.
Taking one run’s lead in the first inning; the Pirates slowly and steadily maintained their pressure and eventually won the game in the ninth.
In the meanwhile, though the Pirates have won this game, but still they need some three to four games’ winning streak to surpass the second place St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. Currently the Pirates are sitting at third place behind
the 2011 World Series Champions with 24-24 win loss record along with .500 winning percentage.
On the other hand, the Reds are at top in the National League Central with 27-21 win-loss rerecord along with .563 winning percentage.
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