Tucker Barnhart homered and Freddy Galvis added an RBI single Tuesday as the Cincinnati Reds won their fourth straight game, beating the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1.
The Reds (24-26) have scored 16 runs and their pitchers have registered 34 strikeouts through the first three games - totaling 23 innings -- of the four-game series.
Colin Moran had an RBI single for Pittsburgh (14-33), which has lost seven in a row. The Pirates have also dropped seven straight games on the road, where they are 5-19.
Cincinnati's Michael Lorenzen (2-1), making his first start since 2018 after 88 consecutive relief appearances, pitched five innings. He allowed one run and four hits, with six strikeouts and no walks.
Amir Garrett pitched the ninth for his first career save despite walking two.
Pittsburgh starter Joe Musgrove (0-5) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings, with eight strikeouts and one walk.
It didn't initially appear Musgrove would last long. He seemed shaky as the Reds took a three-run lead in the first.
Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos opened with back-to-back singles. Musgrove walked Joey Votto to load the bases. Jesse Winker's chopper went for a fielder's choice, with Musgrove throwing out Akiyama at the plate.
Musgrove then hit Mike Moustakas to force in a run. It was the 11th time this year Pirates pitchers have walked or hit a batter with the bases loaded.
Brian Goodwin followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0, and Galvis drove in another with a base hit.
Barnhart led off the second with his fourth homer, to right, to boost Cincinnati's lead to 4-0 before Musgrove settled down. Seven of his strikeouts came after Barnhart's homer.
Pittsburgh cut it to 4-1 in the fourth. Ke'Bryan Hayes doubled to left and scored on Moran's single to right.
Right-hander reliever Blake Cederlind, a touted Pirates prospect whose summer training camp was cut short when he tested positive for COVID-19, was added from the taxi squad before the game and made his major league debut with a one-two-three sixth.
--Field Level Media
Pittsburgh | Cincinnati | |
Joe Musgrove | Player | Michael Lorenzen |
Loss | W/L | Win |
5.0 | IP | 5.0 |
8 | Strikeouts | 6 |
6 | Hits | 4 |
7.20 | ERA | 1.80 |
Pittsburgh | Cincinnati | |
Josh Bell | Player | Shogo Akiyama |
1 | Hits | 2 |
0 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
1 | TB | 2 |
.333 | Avg | .500 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Pittsburgh | 5 | 0 | 7 | .156 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Cincinnati | 6 | 1 | 10 | .207 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |