The Pirates got a pair of two-out, RBI hits from Willie Stargell and Omar Moreno in the seventh inning to eke out a 3-2 win over Cincinnati at Three Rivers. Four Pirate pitchers combined to limit the Reds to three hits.
Starter Bruce Kison survived four walks to throw five shutout innings. He gave up only one hit, a single to Ray Knight. It helped that all but one of the Reds’ baserunners came with two out, the most precarious situation being three straight two-out walks in the fourth. Kison survived that one by getting a groundout from Cesar Geronimo.
The Pirates, meanwhile, didn’t do much better against Reds starter Fred Norman. They got a two-out double from Dave Parker in the first and a leadoff walk to Phil Garner in the fifth, which was followed by a caught stealing. Their only real rally against Norman came in the third, when Garner walked, Kison bunted him to second and Moreno singled him home.
Jim Bibby replaced Kison in the sixth and gave up a run to tie it on an RBI double by Champ Summers. A passed ball put Summers on third with one out, but Bibby fanned Knight and got Geronimo on a grounder. He gave up an unearned run in the seventh, though, to put the Reds up, 2-1. Ken Griffey singled and stole second with two out. Junior Kennedy then singled to center and Griffey scored when Steve Nicosia couldn’t handle Moreno’s throw.
The Pirates got both runs back in the bottom of the seventh to take a 3-2 lead. With one out, Manny Sanguillen, who started at first, singled off Frank Pastore. Rennie Stennett also singled and Garner hit into a force at third. Chuck Tanner sent Stargell — still not playing the field since being hurt on April 29 — up to hit for Bibby and Pops singled to right to score Stennett’s pinch runner, Matt Alexander. The Reds put lefty Dave Tomlin in to face Moreno, but Omar singled to drive in Garner.
Tanner went with Kent Tekulve in the eighth. Teke fanned Dave Concepcion and George Foster, but he walked both Summers and Knight. Grant Jackson came in to face Joe Morgan, but the Reds countered with Johnny Bench. Jackson walked Bench to load the bases, but got Dave Collins on a fly to center.
There was less drama in the ninth, as Jackson retired three straight to earn his fourth save. Bibby vultured the win to move to 3-1.
