Solid pitching clinches a winning homestand

Straily allows just 1 runner in scoring position in 6 innings.

When Carlos Beltran launched a drive to deep right field as the second batter of Cincinnati’s game against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, the thoughts of many of the 16,668 at Great American Ball Park no doubt turned to Monday’s seven-homer, 18-9 Los Angeles Dodgers drubbing of the Reds.

Beltran’s ball died on the warning track in the glove of right fielder Scott Schebler, signaling that this game was going to be different.

Joey Votto drove in two runs and catcher Tucker Barnhart a third to give Reds a 3-0 win.

Right-hander Dan Straily cruised through the Rangers’ batting order, allowing one runner to reach scoring position in six innings and helping the Reds clinch a winning 10-game homestand. Cincinnati has won six with one game left.

“He did a great job the first three innings,” manager Bryan Price said. “We got through them relatively quickly and (Texas starter Derek) Holland was pitching like Tom Browning — get it and throw it. It looked like a sub-two-hour game there for a while. Straily ended up giving us everything we needed, especially after (Monday).”

The win in the opener of the two-game series also guarantees at least a split, leaving the Reds no worse than 8-2-2 in 12 series since the All-Star break.

Votto drove in Tyler Holt from second base with a single to right in the sixth and from third with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Barnhart lined a double up the right-center field gap in the seventh to drive in Engenio Suarez from first.

Barnhart has reached base at least once in each of his last 16 games.

The Rangers, who came in leading the American League West by 5½ games, didn’t get a runner into scoring position until the fifth, when first baseman Mitch Moreland went first-to-third on a single to right by Derek Holland — yes, the Rangers’

‘I didn’t get a hit, but I’ll go home happy.’ Billy Hamilton Reds center fielder

pitcher, batting only because the designated hitter isn’t used in interleague games at National League ballparks. The hit was the first of Holland’s career.

Center fielder Billy Hamilton helped keep Texas scoreless with yet another highlight-reel play, sprinting far to his right into left-center field to make a diving backhand catch on the warning track of Beltran’s drive leading off the sixth.

“I usually have a pretty good angle on most of them, and that was the first one all year I thought he had no shot,” Straily said. “I was starting to move over to back up third, but he found a way. It’s pretty amazing what he’s doing out there.”

“I didn’t get a hit, but I’ll go home happy,” Hamilton said.

Suarez at third base ended that same inning by spearing Jonathan Lucroy’s line drive with Adrian Beltre on first base.

Straily (10-6) threw 94 pitches while allowing three hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Raisel Iglesias gave up singles to the first two batters he faced and, after a forceout, wild-pitched the run- ners into scoring position, but he struck out pinch hitter Jurickson Profar looking on a pitch that might’ve been outside — at least according to the television strike zone box — and Ian Desmond swinging to end the threat.

Straily and Iglesias teamed to keep the top four batters in the Rangers’ lineup to a combined 1-for-15 with one walk. The top five finished 1-for-18 with two walks while the Reds were logging their fifth shutout win, fourth at Great American Ball Park.

“They have one of the more prolific offenses in the league, but we pitched them pretty good tonight,” Barnhart said.

Texas has been shut out eight times, including three in the last nine games.