Pittsburgh went up a run in the eighth inning only to watch the Reds tie it in the ninth and win it in the tenth. Chris Heisey hit a game tying pinch hit double in the ninth. Joey Votto – a triple crown and MVP candidate – smoked a solo homer in the bottom of the tenth to touch off a wild celebration in a game that started with honoring the fallen in the 9/11 tragedy and also honoring Peter Edward Rose on the 25th anniversary of The Hit.
Charlie Morton pitched really well. He allowed a sac fly to Drew Stubbs in the second inning but otherwise kept the Reds scoreless through six innings. But in the seventh, he gave up three singles and a sac fly to Ramon Hernandez before giving way to Chris Resop. Miguel Cairo hit a sac fly off Resop to make it 3-0.
Edinson Volquez had struck out 10 and held the Pirates to just one safety through seven innings. Nick Masset was on for the eighth inning and he didn’t get the job done. Ronny Cedeno singled and scored on John Bowker’s first Bucco hit – a double. After a walk to Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata had an infield single that score Bowker. The Cuban Missile Aroldis Chapman was called on. He was greeted by a double steal and then Neil Walker kept his hitting streak alive with a two run single that put the Bucs up a run.
Joel Hanrahan was called on to put the Reds down in the ninth. He couldn’t do it. Ramon Hernandez was on with a lead off single. His pinch hitter was erased on a fielder’s choice from Drew Stubbs. Heisey pulled his double down the third base line and Stubbs scored from first to tie it up.
Pittsburgh did nothing off of Francisco Cordero in the tenth. But Justin Thomas gave up Votto’s lead off dinger to end it in the home half of the frame.
Morton allowed three runs in 6-1/3 innings. He surrendered six hits and a walk. He struck out two. Volquez tossed seven shutout innings and whiffed 10. Cordero was the winner. Thomas picked up the loss.
The Good
Walker extended his hitting streak with his 9th inning base hit.
No complaints about Morton’s results.
Tabata had two hits and a stolen base.
The Bad
Getting a late lead and then blowing it.
Bucs struck out thirteen times.
Pedro Alvarez committed his 13th error of the year.
The Rest
Morton was 1-4 in five starts against Cincinnati. The Reds beat him twice in May 2010. Volquez has now made five starts against Pittsburgh and despite a career ERA against them that is below 3.00, his career mark is merely 1-0.
Bucs are 47-94. They need to go 16-5 the rest of the way to avoid 100 losses.
Coming into the game, Pittsburgh was the only NL Central team against whom Votto did not have mutliple homers against on the year.
