Polanco went 1-for-4 with a tiebreaking two-run home run and three RBIs, giving him nine RBIs on the year as the Pirates improved to 5-1. Josh Harrison and Corey Dickerson each had two hits for Pittsburgh, and both scored, while Dickerson added an RBI.
Brault (2-0) allowed just three hits in his first start of the season, with the only run he surrendered scoring on a wild pitch. Brault struck out four and issued four walks, throwing 46 of his 80 pitches for strikes.
The Pirates caught up to Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey (0-2) in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring four runs. Polanco got the rally rolling with a two-run homer that scored Harrison. Josh Bell singled to center two batters later and scored on a Dickerson triple. Dickerson scored two batters later on a throwing error by Cincinnati shortstop Jose Peraza.
Cincinnati got on the board first in the second inning, as Scooter Gennett came home on a wild pitch. Pittsburgh tied the game in the third inning on a Polanco sacrifice fly.
Reds cleanup hitter Adam Duvall added a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning off George Kontos, the only one of four Pirates relievers to allow a run. Felipe Rivero picked up his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
Cincinnati finished with five hits, and no Reds player had more than one.
Bailey gave up five runs (four earned) in 4 2/3 innings.
The teams meet again on Friday with Pittsburgh's Trevor Williams (1-0) going against Cincinnati's Luis Castillo (0-1).
--Field Level Media
Cincinnati | Pittsburgh | |
Homer Bailey | Player | Steven Brault |
Loss | W/L | Win |
4.2 | IP | 5.0 |
2 | Strikeouts | 4 |
7 | Hits | 3 |
7.71 | ERA | 1.80 |
Cincinnati | Pittsburgh | |
Phil Gosselin | Player | Corey Dickerson |
1 | Hits | 2 |
0 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
1 | TB | 5 |
1.000 | Avg | .500 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Cincinnati | 5 | 1 | 8 | .161 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Pittsburgh | 9 | 1 | 17 | .273 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |