11-Inning Thriller goes to the Reds
Tim Adleman #68 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 1, 2016 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(May 1, 2016 - Source: Joe Sargent/Getty Images North America)
The Cincinnati Reds win at the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 in extra innings to end a six-game losing streak.
The Pirates tied the game three times but could not come back in the 11th inning of the game. It was Pittsburgh’s first loss after winning six games in a row.
Cincinnati’s SP Tim Adleman made his MLB debut against a lineup that had 6 hitters with a batting average of over .300 and the highest OBP in all of baseball. Nonetheless, he cruised through six innings and worked into the seventh before he was relieved.
Tim Adleman threw 92 pitches, giving up 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 earned runs while striking out 6. His ERA and WHIP stand at 3.00 and 0.83, respectively.
RF Gregory Polanco gave Pittsburgh their only lead with a leadoff home run into the Allegheny River in the fifth inning.
The Reds responded with three runs in the sixth. C Tucker Barnhart started the inning with a double and SS Zack Cozart reached base on a walk with one out. Barnhart became the second out when CF Billy Hamilton hit into fielder’s choice but the Reds still had runners on first and second base.
1B Joey Votto followed with a single and Zack Cozart scored while Billy Hamilton advanced to third base. When Joey Votto stole second base the Reds had two runners in scoring position.
Pittsburgh decided to load the bases and walked 2B Brandon Phillips, hoping that RF Jay Bruce would be an easier out for the left-handed SP Jeff Locke. Ironically, Jay Bruce doubled for his only hit of the game and drove in Billy Hamilton and Joey Votto for the 3-1 lead.
Brandon Phillips tried to come home as well but C Chris Stewart tagged him before he could reach home plate for the final out of the inning.
The Pirates bounced back with a two-run inning in the seventh. Tim Adleman’s debut came to an end when he allowed LF Starling Marte to reach first base on a leadoff single. RP Tony Cingrani struck out Gregory Polanco but 3B Sean Rodriguez followed with a powerful hit that turned into an RBI-triple.
After another pitching change PH Matt Joyce came to the plate and singled to drive in Sean Rodriguez for the tying run.
Zack Cozart led the eighth inning off by reaching second base on an error from Gregory Polanco, who misread the fly ball. Cozart injured his right knee on the play and had to be replaced with PR Tyler Holt.
Billy Hamilton’s sacrifice bunt advanced Tyler Holt to third base. With Jay Bruce batting and two outs, Holt scored on a fielding error by Chris Stewart. The catcher tried to tag Holt at home plate but had the ball knocked out of his glove. Holt ran back to step on home plate and the Reds were up 4-3.
The Pirates tied the game for the second time when Starling Marte hit an RBI-single to drive CF Andrew McCutchen home.
The Reds regained the lead again in the ninth inning. RF Adam Duvall reached base on a leadoff single and LF Scott Schebler drove him in with an RBI-double to give Cincinnati a 5-4 lead.
It looked all but over for the Pirates when 1B John Jaso came to the plate with two outs but he hammered the ball 391 ft. into the stands for the game-tying run.
In the 11th inning, however, the Reds put the game away for good. It was once again Scott Schebler who drove in the run with an RBI-double. This time it turned out to be the game-winning run by Eugenio Suarez.
Jeff Locke pitched 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks and 3 earned runs while striking out 6. His ERA improved to 4.73 and his WHIP fell to 1.84.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (15-10) will host the Chicago Cubs (17-6) for a three-game series from Monday to Wednesday. The Cincinnati Reds (10-15) will travel home to face the San Francisco Giants (13-13) from Monday through Wednesday.
