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Game 2:
Reds 5 Pirates 1
Handcuffed in Game 1 and held to just two runs in 4-2 loss, the Reds bats finally starting making noise later in Game 2 as the Reds went on to post a 5-1 win and gain a split of the doubleheader affair at GABP Thursday. The bats backed up a bullpen game that saw reliever Jeff Hoffman start and three more relievers follow. Robert Dugger headlined the group with 3.2 shutout innings.
The Reds move to 29-54 on the season.
The Reds trailed 1-0 until the 6th inning when Tyler Naquin crushed his 6th homer to tie the game. It traveled 422 feet and left the bat at 106.5 mph.
1-1 in the 7th inning, the Reds struck for four runs with two outs: Jonathan India slapped a single the other way to plate Nick Senzel and give the Reds a 2-1 lead. They broke it open when Brandon Drury tripled to score two and make it 4-1 Reds. Tommy Pham's RBI single made it 5-1.
Bullpen game: Four relievers combined to record 27 outs. Jeff Hoffman was the choice to make his 1st start of the season and 50th of his MLB career. He went 1.2 IN, 0 R.....Ross Detwiler: 1.2 IN, 1 R....Robert Dugger: 3.2 IN, 0 R, 65 pitches....a huge help to the pen today and tomorrow. ..Reiver Sanmartin: 2.2 IN. 0 R. He got two big outs in relief of Dugger to douse the flames of a 2-on, 1-out 7th inning Pirates threat when it was 1-1.
The bullpen, which had an 8.1 inning scoreless streak entering the 9th inning Wednesday night........tossed 11.2 innings and allowed one run in the DH today.
Offense: 2 hits India, Naquin, Drury.
Back in a groove? India entered the day 0 for his last 13 and just 10 for 69 since returning from the IL. He had four hits in the doubleheader.
Who? Pirates SP Bryse Wilson entered with a 7.49 ERA, opponents were hitting .333 and he had allowed more earned runs (33) than strikeouts (31).
He allowed the Reds one earned run and did not walk a batter of 6.2 innings.
The matchup wasn't exactly The Tom Emanski Invitational. The two teams combined for three errors and failed to make other plays on the night.
Painful: The number of outs the Reds defense fails to record is simply staggering. Donovan Solano could not get the ball out of his glove to turn a DP.