As Tim Adleman gave the Reds a much-needed quality start with six innings, Joey Votto and Adam Duvall divided the work evenly to back him. Votto and Duvall each notched two hits and two RBIs during the Reds’ 4-2 victory over the Pirates on Thursday at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati claimed three of four games in the series to climb back to .500 at 14-14.
Pirates starter Ivan Nova, the National League’s Pitcher of the Month for April, retired nine of his first 10 batters until the Reds came alive in the fourth inning. Jose Peraza hit a leadoff single and scored on Votto’s RBI double to the gap in left-center field. Votto scored on Duvall’s RBI single before Duvall was thrown out at second base trying for a double.
Votto added another RBI double in the fifth inning, and Duvall drove him in again with his RBI triple to left field. Nova gave up four earned runs and 10 hits over six innings with no walks and five strikeouts.
“They have a really good lineup. You’ve got to make good pitches against them,” Nova said. “If you don’t make pitches, you’re going to get hit. It’s the second time I’ve given up four runs against them. I’ve got to do something different next time out.”
Adleman’s six innings included two earned runs, six hits, one walk and five strikeouts. In the top of the second inning, the Pirates took a 1-0 lead on Gift Ngoepe’s hard-lined one-out double to right-center field that scored Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli returned in the sixth with a two-out RBI double that brought home Josh Bell.
“[Adleman] is a strike thrower. It’s a pleasure to catch,” Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart said. “Today, three pitches for strikes. With the exception of that last inning where he kind of got into a little bit of a jam and got out of it, I think he had 65 pitches going into the sixth inning and ended up throwing [88]. Put him out there, and you have to be on your toes because you know he’s going to throw strikes. You know he’s going to come at you right away. It’s impressive.”
Michael Lorenzen followed Adleman with two perfect innings. Raisel Iglesias tackled the top of the ninth and escaped after a leadoff single for his fifth save. Cincinnati is 6-1 this season vs. Pittsburgh.
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