Bailey can’t make it past fifth

The Pirates’ Gregory Polanco begins his trip around the bases after hitting a two-run homer as the Reds’ Joey Votto looks on.

night after 4 innings. Bailey allowed seven hits, walked three, struck out two and gave up four earned runs.

“Leadoff walk to Harrison (and) you got a guy you gotta worry about stealing bases, and he can certainly take your focus off the hitter,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “I’m not saying that’s the reason, but Polanco ended up hitting the home run, then Bell gets on and Dickerson lines a ball down the

line and next thing you know things are rolling.”

Bailey added: “I thought early we did pretty good. We were pitch-efficient. The big difference was the one to Polanco that he hit out. It was the turnaround right there.

“I didn’t execute a few pitches here and there, and that’s what cost us.”

The first Cincinnati run was scored in the second inning by hot-hitting second baseman Scooter Gennett who singled and then scored on a wild pitch, but the Reds failed to capitalize with runners at first and third in what proved to be their best opportunity of the night. Adam Duvall added a solo home run to left — his second this season — in the eighth inning that made it 5-2.

“Yeah, didn’t do much,” Price said of the offense. “Outside the Duvall homer there wasn’t a ton of hard contact tonight.”

The Reds, with just five hits on Thursday, have now been held to two runs or fewer in three of their five games this season.

“We’re not getting out of the blocks right away,” Price said. “We’ve got Scooter and Tucker (Barnhart) that have swung the bat well, (Scott) Schebler before he got hurt. Collectively, as an offense, we haven’t done as much as I’d like early, but it is early.”

Cincinnati is 1-4 and currently at the bottom of the National League Central.