Reds hitless for nearly 6 innings in 3-1 loss

Zach Thompson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Daniel Vogelbach homered to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.

Brandon Drury broke up the no-hit bid by lining a clean single to right field with two outs.

Despite having not allowed a hit that deep into the game, Thompson wasn’t thinking no-no.

“When it landed, everyone started cheering, and I was like, ‘Why are we cheering for someone else getting a hit?’” Thompson said. “And then I looked out and saw there was a 1 (in the hit column) and was like, ‘Huh?’

“I didn’t know I had one until the ball was hit,” Thompson added.

That was the only hit allowed by Thompson (2-3) in six innings. He had three walks and three strikeouts while throwing 76 pitches. He combined with Wil Crowe, Chris Stratton and David Bednar on a four-hitter that ended the Reds’ three-game winning streak.

Thompson entered with a 7.08 ERA in six games, including five starts, but ran his scoreless innings streak to 12. Last Sunday, he pitched five shutout innings at Cincinnati but did not get a decision.

“He makes pitches and he has good movement on them,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said. “You’ve got to give him credit. It was an outstanding start.”

Vogelbach’s 433-foot leadoff home run to center off Luis Castillo in the fourth made it 3-0. It was Vogelbach’s team-leading sixth homer and the game’s lone extrabase hit.

Castillo (0-1) lost in his second start of the year, allowing three runs and four hits in five innings. He missed all of spring training and the first month of the regular season with a strained shoulder.

“The slider and changeup weren’t working well as I wanted, but everything else felt fine,” Castillo said.

The Pirates opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning. Jack Suwinski scored on a balk and Diego Castillo hit an RBI single.

The Reds’ lone run came on Albert Almora Jr.’s single in the seventh. Trailing 3-1, Cincinnati put runners on second and third base, but Crowe struck out Matt Reynolds to end the inning.

GENE J. PUSKAR/ASSOCIATED PRESS Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson, left, is helped by a team trainer as he leaves the team’s baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with an injury during the third inning in Pittsburgh, Saturday.

GENE J. PUSKAR/AP Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Zach Thompson delivers during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Pittsburgh, Saturday.