The Pirates no longer needed a stopper-type performance from Ivan Nova after they ended their eight-game losing streak on Wednesday. They needed to start the makings of a roll and build momentum to improve their fading postseason hopes. In either function, Nova was the right guy for the job. Nova went the distance again on Thursday night and remained unbeaten for his new club as the Pirates notched a 4-1 victory over the Reds at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh inched back to a .500 record at 69-69 and four games behind St. Louis for the second National League Wild Card spot. Sending nine men to the plate in the bottom of the first inning with five hits vs. Dan Straily, the Bucs jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead.
“Just continue to go out each and every day and take it one game at a time,” Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer said. “We were in a rough stretch there, but we know that we can turn things around real quick, and there’s still plenty of games to make a difference.”
The big blow was Jung Ho Kang hitting an 0-2 fastball for a two-run double to the wall in left-center field that just missed the glove of Reds center fielder Jose Peraza.
“That’s the one pitch of the game I want back,” Straily said. “I want to change everything about that pitch, but you can’t do that. I have to live with it.”
Francisco Cervelli added an RBI single that squeaked through the middle into center field. That was enough room for Nova, who retired the first 12 batters in a row before allowing one earned run and six hits with no walks and four strikeouts to improve to 5-0 in seven starts since being acquired by the Pirates from the Yankees on Aug. 1. It was the fifth complete game of his career, and second in his last four starts.
“Pretty much more of the same from Nova, and it’s really good,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It’s really consistent and it really plays well at the Major League level.”
Straily pitched five innings with three earned runs, seven hits, three walks (two intentional) and six strikeouts while hitting two batters as the Reds lost for the fifth straight game and the ninth time in their last 11 games. The Pirates added a run vs. Keyvius Sampson in the sixth when Josh Harrison hit a one-out double and scored on Andrew McCutchen’s RBI single.
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