Justin Dunn picked up his first win of the 2022 season by holding the Pirates to a run over his 5.0 innings. The offense did their part and more with Jake Fraley hitting a ball into the river and a 9th inning that saw seven consecutive singles pad the lead to what would eventually be the final score of 10-1.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (47-71) |
10 | 14 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (47-73) |
1 | 4 | 2 |
| W: Dunn (1-1) L: Beede (1-3) |
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| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
Cincinnati got some help in the 3rd inning from the Pirates defense. Jake Fraley walked and moved up to second on a ground out. With two outs Kyle Farmer grounded a ball up to shortstop and Oneil Cruz fielded the ball then made a poor throw to first base that got by Bligh Madris and brought Fraley in to give the Reds a 1-0 lead.
The lead would be extended in the 4th. After singles from Donovan Solano and TJ Friedl, Austin Romine came through with a 2-run double. Jake Fraley followed up with a 437-foot home run that landed in the river and floated away to give Cincinnati a 5-0 lead.
The offense would play add on in the 9th when Jonathan India, Kyle Farmer, Mike Moustakas, Donovan Solano, Nick Senzel, and Aristides Aquino strung together six straight singles to put four more runs on the board and make it a 9-1 ballgame. That led to a pitching change for the Pirates. That mattered none as Jose Barrero made it seven straight singles and a 10-a game. That was the last hit the Reds would get on the night, but it was more than enough.
The Pitching
Justin Dunn’s start didn’t begin as he would have hoped as he gave up a leadoff double. But a baserunning blunder by Tucupita Marcano led to him being picked off and Dunn got through the inning. A single and two walks loaded the bases with two outs in the 2nd inning but Dunn was able to get a ground out to strand all three runners.
After the Reds grabbed a 5-0 lead the Pirates got one back on one of the strangest home runs you’ll ever see. Rodolfo Castro hit one to deep center and the ball ricocheted off of the taller part of the wall and then landed in the stands above the shorter part of the wall. That was the last hit that Dunn would allow, though he did have to work around a walk in the 4th and 5th – and he did just that – before finishing the day with just that one run in 5.0 innings.
Ian Gibaut came out for the 6th inning and had to work around a leadoff single and a 1-out walk, but he held onto a 5-1 lead. Buck Farmer followed him for the 7th and he worked a perfect inning in his return. Hunter Strickland walked a batter in the 8th, but pitched a hitless frame with two strikeouts. Art Warren walked two batters in the 9th, but he kept Pittsburgh off of the board as he sealed up a 10-1 win and evened up the series at one win for each team.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates
Sunday August 21st, 1:35pm ET
Mike Minor (1-10, 6.31 ERA) vs. Zach Thompson (3-9, 5.51 ERA)
