By Shelly Anderson, The Sports Xchange



PITTSBURGH -- It's a stats line only so many baseball players could muster.

Three hits, three runs scored, four stolen bases and a leaping, backhand catch in center field.

Not in a weekend series, but in one game.

That's what Billy Hamilton pulled off Sunday to help the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3.

"My job is to get on base and get into scoring position for these guys behind me to drive me in. That's my job," Hamilton said. "I felt like I did my job, and they did their job."

Hamilton was 3-for-4 with a walk before his day ended when he finally was caught stealing in the ninth inning.

Reds manager Bryan Price was more effusive about Hamilton.

"He just has a special talent, and it certainly shows itself when he's getting on base and not just stealing the bases but scoring the runs," Price said. "It's an impact offensive piece that always invigorates the team."

That said, Price pointed out that Hamilton's ticket to the big leagues and reason for sticking around is not what he does on the bases.

"Through all the challenges that he's had offensively, the defense has kept him in the big leagues, to be honest, more so than the stolen bases," Price said.

The Reds led 3-0 in the third when Pittsburgh's Eric Fryer hit what looked to most in PNC Park like a hit to the deep part of center with one out.

"I thought it was going to be a hit, too," Hamilton said. "It's knuckling, and it's straight at you. That's the hard part about it, for me just to be in the area to attempt to make a play. It ended up happening.

"You saw me turn to the right, and I had to turn back around to the left. It was one of those balls you hope doesn't come down and hit you in the face."

Reds starter Dan Straily (7-6), who at the time was perfect, was as relieved as he was impressed.

"I have never seen anything like him," Straily said of Hamilton. "That ball, it started off over one of his shoulders, kind of knuckled back. It was pretty impressive from where I was standing, very much appreciated.

"I hung a slider. He hit the ball well. I was very fortunate."

Straily needed just 41 pitches to remain perfect through four innings before giving up a homer to Matt Joyce in the fifth. Josh Harrison also hit a solo homer in the sixth for Pittsburgh.

Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen and Tony Cingrani pitched an inning apiece in relief of Straily, who allowed two runs on three hits with four strikeouts over six frames.

Cincinnati has won each of Straily's past five starts.

The Pirates were vying for a weekend sweep, but were limited to six hits against three pitchers.

Pirates starter Gerrit Cole (7-7) gave up four runs on three hits through 5 2/3 innings, with three walks and six strikeouts. He is 0-6 in seven career starts against the Reds.

"It comes down to putting guys on the ground and getting efficient outs," Cole said. "You're not going to be able to stop Hamilton every time, but a walk to start off the game is pretty much a triple within four or five pitches. That's not going to get the job done. I had the opportunity to try to be efficient, get deep in the ball game and eat innings up. Fell into the same pitfalls I had early in the game."

Cincinnati started quickly by taking a 2-0 lead in the first.

Hamilton walked, stole second and third, and scored on Adam Duvall's groundout. Brandon Phillips' single up the middle brought home Joey Votto, who had walked and advanced on Duvall's grounder.

Cincinnati added another run in the fourth. Hamilton led off with a double to the right-field corner, stole third and scored an out later on Votto's sacrifice fly to left to make it 3-0.

Joyce led off the fifth with a 442-foot shot to right-center, his 12th homer, to make it 3-1.

Cincinnati took a 4-1 lead and chased Cole in the sixth. Duvall, who reached on a fielder's choice and stole second, scored on Phillips' bloop single to center.

Harrison's one-out homer to left, his fourth, pulled Pittsburgh to within 4-2 in the sixth.

The Reds scored another three, against relievers Jared Hughes and Curtis Partch, in the seventh.

Eugenio Suarez singled to center, moved to second on a Hughes' wild pitch, to third on Ramon Cabrera's fly ball and scored on pinch-hitter Tony Renda's single to right to make it 5-2.

Hamilton singled to push Renda to third and, of course, stole second. Zack Cozart reached on Jung Ho Kang's fielding error, with Renda scoring, and Hamilton scored on a Partch wild pitch for a 7-2 lead.

"I think holds, picks, faster legs -- I mean, you can't stop him," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said of Hamilton. "You can only hold him for a few pitches. We did neither today."

Pittsburgh made it 7-3 in the seventh on Jordy Mercer's fielder's choice after Iglesias walked the bases loaded.

NOTES: RF Gregory Polanco (left shoulder discomfort) was out of the Pittsburgh starting lineup for the fourth game in a row, but remains available in a pinch-hitting capacity. ... The Pirates have not named a starter for Tuesday's game against San Diego, but it is likely that RHP Chad Kuhl will be promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis for that assignment. ... RHPs Alfredo Simon (right trapezius) and A.J. Morris (strained right shoulder) began rehabilitation assignments Sunday with Triple-A Louisville. The pitchers last played for the Reds on June 15. ... Pittsburgh RHP Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder discomfort), who threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, is scheduled to throw a simulated game Tuesday at PNC Park. ... Sunday's game was the 1,066th played by 1B Joey Votto and 2B Brandon Phillips together on the right side of the infield, moving them into fourth place all-time in league history. ... LF Starling Marte recorded his 200th career extra-base hit with a double in the first inning on Saturday. He was playing in his 571st major league game, all with the Pirates. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, among Pirates players to debut in the past 40 seasons, only three totaled 200 extra-base hits with the club in fewer games: Barry Bonds (465 games), Andrew McCutchen (493 games) and Aramis Ramirez (564 games).