Adam Duvall and Scooter Gennett crushed their third homers of the season, continuing the Reds’ team-wide power surge and backing a solid group effort by their pitching staff in a 6-2 win over the Pirates on Tuesday night at PNC Park.
The Reds have won three straight series to start the season for the first time since 1990, when they went on to win the World Series.
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Duvall continued his early season hot streak, going deep to left field against Pirates starter Jameson Taillon in the second inning. Cincinnati has now homered in each of its first eight games, and Gennett’s blast off Trevor Williams in the eighth inning brought the team’s total to 13 in eight games. That was more than enough support for starter Rookie Davis and five Reds relievers, who held the Pirates to six hits in Cincinnati’s third straight win.
“One of the benefits of having an eight-man bullpen early in the season is weather issues or short starts,” said Reds manager Bryan Price, who replaced Davis after four innings when he sustained a right forearm bruise after being hit by a pitch. “The guys came in and did the job.”
Pirates right-hander Taillon put together another strong start, allowing two runs over six efficient innings, after waiting out a 1-hour, 14-minute rain delay. But he was again unrewarded. The Pirates could not put together a sustained rally, with their first run coming on a single, a walk and a delayed double-steal during which Starling Marte swiped home. The Bucs went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners.
Taillon was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning, and the Bucs went on to tie the game. But Billy Hamilton laced an RBI single to center in the seventh, giving the Reds a one-run lead, and Gennett’s three-run homer put the game out of reach.
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