Seeing red again
Cincinnati routs slumping Burnett with early flurry of solid hits
CINCINNATI — Shortly after the first pitch Thursday night between the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, general manager Neal Huntington said the Pirates do not intend to acquire a starting pitcher before the 4 p.m trade deadline today.
Perhaps Huntington’s tune might have changed a bit as he watched the Reds collect 19 hits, including three three-run home runs, and dash the Pirates’ threegame winning streak with an emphatic 15-5 victory at Great American Ball Park.
Right-hander A.J. Burnett, a first-time All-Star this year, served up a first-inning home run to Marlon Byrd, an ex-Pirates player, and allowed 10 hits and 8 runs (7 earned) in 4⅓ innings, his shortest start this season. Brandon Phillips drilled two three-run homers off reliever Deolis Guerra. It took outfielder Jaff Decker tossing a scoreless eighth to end a night that had gotten out of hand quickly.
Burnett fought his command and a weakened arsenal, including a sinker that mostly sat in the high-80s (mph) for the first few innings.
“It’s just what I had, man. I’m 38,” Burnett said of his early velocity drop. “It’s sad, but I was able to find it later in the game. One of those days. I was off early.”
Burnett has not looked himself since the All-Star break. After allowing no more than four earned runs in any first-half start he has given up five, six and eight earned runs in his past three starts. He has allowed double-digit hit totals in each of those starts, too.
“I don’t think it’s a rough patch,” he said. “Just had a bad day, that's all.”
Guerra, brought in to mop up the mess, surrendered seven hits and six runs in 1⅓ innings. Left-hander Antonio Bastardo walked three and allowed a run in an inning of work.
Decker, the first Pirates position player to pitch since Travis Snider June 18, 2014, faced the heart of the Reds order and stranded two runners after giving up a single and double.
“I was trying my hardest not to give up a run, try and keep that zero ERA,” said Decker, who previously pitched in 2008 as a senior at Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, Ariz.
Even as Huntington made two moves Thursday to bolster one of the strongest bullpen in the majors, bringing in right-handers Joe Blanton and Joakim Soria, the Pirates pitching looked shakier than ever. Their first baseman, too. Fueling the Reds’ six-run fifth was another ugly error by Pedro Alvarez, a maddening, boom-or-bust-or-blunder slugger. This came after Alvarez homered in the second, flashing another glimpse of his pent-up power, and for a moment had as many home runs (15) as errors (15) this season.
With runners on the corners and one out in the fifth, speedy Billy Hamilton, the Reds No. 9 hitter, hit a hard grounder to Alvarez, who fielded it cleanly. Down, 5-1, Alvarez fired to second, hoping to turn an inning-ending double play. The throw, however, zoomed well wide of the bag and into left field. A run scored, and both runners moved up.
Manager Clint Hurdle said Alvarez should have stepped on first, since the runner had not taken off from third against a drawnin infield, and Hamilton is hard to double up.
“For future reference, he knows the play was right there at first base,” Hurdle said. “It's another learning experience.”
Burnett departed, and leadoff man Phillips greeted Guerra with a three-run homer to left.