Thursday, Clint Hurdle celebrated his 58th birthday, it was the Cincinnati Reds however who blew out the candles winning 15-5 while achieving a season high for hits this season with 19.
Many Pirate fans probably thought they were getting a break when Todd Frazier [.359 5 HR, 10 RBI in ’15 vs Pirates] was not in the starting lineup, however Brandon Phillips more than made up for his absence.
Phillips hit two home runs in the contest and set a new career-high with seven RBI. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Phillips is the only player in history with for hits, two home runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases in a game since 1920 when the RBI became official.
With the acquisition of Joakim Soria from the Detroit Tigers, the Pirates will have to make a corresponding move.
Deolis Guerra did not do himself any favors allowing six runs on seven hits in 1.1 innings. Guerra who threw 64 pitches, relieved A.J. Burnett who experienced similar struggles. Guerra’s ERA increased from 3.52 to 6.48 following the outing.
Burnett [8-5] allowed eight runs [seven earned] on 10 hits in 4.1 innings. In the second half of the season, Burnett has allowed 18 runs on 32 hits in 16 innings pitched. That is good for an ERA of 10.13.
Burnett experienced a velocity drop early in the contest with his four-seam fastball bottoming out at 87-88 miles-per-hour which his changeup also was 87 miles-per-hour.
Marlon Byrd made him pay in the first inning with a three-run home run, his 17th of the season.
Pedro Alvarez homered with two outs in the second inning off David Holmberg [1-0], good for his 16th of the season and cutting the lead to 3-1.
The Reds scored single runs in the third and fourth innings as Jay Bruce hit a sacrifice fly and Phillips singled. A six-run fifth inning allowed the Reds to pull away.
Burnett hit Tucker Barnhart with a 2-2 pitch and then Holmberg pulled away from a bunt and hit a single advancing Barnhart to third base. Billy Hamilton grounded to Alvarez who over threw second base which scored a run. This was Alvarez’s 16th error of the season, the most by a first baseman since Ryan Howard committed 19 in 2008.
With Guerra in, the first batter he faced, Phillips homered on a 2-2 count. The last two runs of the inning were scored on a Bruce double.
Though the Pirates scored one run on a Chris Stewart sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth, the Reds scored three in the bottom half.
Phillips once again homered off Guerra, good for his seventh home run of the season.
With two outs in the seventh inning, the Pirates scored three runs. Gregory Polanco notched his 23rd double of the season and Starling Marte was hit by a pitch. Andrew McCutchen recorded an RBI single which was followed by a two-run RBI double from Aramis Ramirez, his 20th of the season.
Antonio Bastardo had control issues in the seventh inning hitting one by a pitch and walking three which allowed a run to score. He did not make it out of the inning and Arquimedes Caminero recorded the final out.
Outfielder Jaff Decker made his first career outing on the mound in the eighth inning and put up a zero. He allowed two hits to lead off the inning, however with the final outcome already decided, the Reds baserunners were not aggressive on the basepaths.
This is the largest margin of defeat this season.
The four-game series continues Friday as Jeff Locke [5-6 4.01 ERA] takes on Michael Lorenzen [3-5 4.58 ERA]. Locke is 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA in nine career starts against the Reds.
Of note: The Pirates traded Justin Sellers to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for either cash considerations or a player to be named later. Sellers had recently recovered from left heel pain. This past week he passed through waivers and was outrighted off the 40-man roster.
Photo credit: AP Photo/John Minchillo
