Pittsburgh sinks Cincy
Pirates deliver blow to Reds’ fading playoff chances
CINCINNATI — Ben Gamel homered, Ke’bryan Hayes had
three hits and the Pittsburgh Pirates dampened the Cincinnati Reds’ fading postseason hopes with a 6-2 win Tuesday night.
Gamel hit his eighth home run in the fourth inning to erase the Reds’ early lead in the fourth. Hayes singled to score Hoy Park,
and Cole Tucker sent Hayes home with a single.
Mitch Keller (5-11) pitched out of trouble with the aid of two double plays to hold
off the Reds, who are chasing the streaking
St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL wild card. The Reds trailed
by three games entering Tuesday. Cincinnati has 10 games left to catch St. Louis.
The Reds failed to get a hit in key situations, scoring on a double play with runners at the corner and TJ Friedl’s bases loaded sacrifice fly.
They loaded the bases with no outs in the
seventh, but Nick Castellanos and Joey Votto popped out and Nick Mears struck out Kyle Farmer looking. Farmer had three hits, but Cincinnati stranded 11 baserunners.
Keller matched his season high with 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He won for the first time since Aug. 20.
Mahle (12-6) was relieved after 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits.
The Pirates scored three runs off Michael Lorenzen in the
eighth.
Fading
The Reds have not won a series since
completing a fourgame sweep of the
Miami Marlins on Aug. 22. They need a win in Wednesday’s
series finale to avoid losing nine straight series.
Trainer’s Room
Pirates: IF/OF Michael Chavis continues a rehab assignment with Indianapolis. He is 6 for 15 with four RBIS in four games, recovering from a strained right elbow.
Reds: Manager David Bell told reporters that LHP Wade Miley
has been dealing with a stiff neck. Miley is
being monitored by trainers and expected to make his next start.
Up Next
Reds RHP Luis Castilo (8-15, 4.08 ERA) makes his 32nd start of the season today in the series finale. Pittsburgh hasn’t named a
starter.
ROYALS 4, INDIANS 1
CLEVELAND — Yu Chang hit a basesloaded triple off left fielder Andrew Benintendi’s glove in the first inning, leading Cal Quantrill and the Cleveland Indians to a 4-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
Ernie Clement homered as the secondplace Indians kept Chicago’s magic number for clinching the AL Central at two.
Cleveland hosts the White Sox in a fivegame series beginning Thursday.
Chang, who has 19 RBIS and 13 extra-base hits in 26 games since
being recalled from Triple-a Columbus, hit a line drive and Benintendi slipped on the wet grass in pursuit. Benintendi made a late jump and the ball tipped off his glove —
he looked at his mitt to see if he’d caught the ball as it rolled to the wall -- as Myles
Straw, Oscar Mercado and José Ramirez came around.
“I thought he would catch it,” Chang admitted. “I didn’t think that much when I
came to bat because I already have an approach in the zone. The ball is just there. I hit the ball.”
Quantrill (7-3) worked 6 2/3 innings,
striking out six and allowing one run on Hunter Dozier’s homer in the seventh. The right-hander made his final home start of the year, finishing with a
5-0 record and 2.20 ERA at home.