Luis Ortiz pitched six solid innings in his first start of the season, and Rowdy Tellez and Andrew McCutchen each homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates pull away for a 6-1 win over host Cincinnati on Wednesday afternoon.
Jason Delay also drove in two runs to help the Pirates take the three-game series.
Ortiz (4-2) made his first start since Sept. 28, 2023, and gave up just one run on four hits while striking out seven batters and issuing no walks.
The game was tied 1-1 early until the Pirates were able to break through and score five unanswered runs from the fourth through the sixth inning.
Tellez hit his third home run of the season to break the tie and give the Pirates a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. McCutchen followed up with a two-run shot, his 11th of the season, in the next inning to extend Pittsburgh’s lead.
Cincinnati’s Graham Ashcraft (4-4) was saddled with the loss. He made his first start for the Reds since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville. Ashcraft was sent down following a rough June 5 outing against the Colorado Rockies.
Ashcraft lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits while striking out three.
He was relieved midway through the sixth inning after giving up hits to Connor Joe and Nick Gonzales. Delay would bring them both home with a two-run double to make it a 6-1 game. Delay went 2-for-3.
Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds laced a line-drive single in the first inning, extending his MLB-best hitting streak to 23 consecutive games.
The Reds, who finished with just four hits, got their lone run on a Jonathan India RBI double in the bottom of the third. That was the only inning they put runners in scoring position.
Pittsburgh relievers Kyle Nicolas and Aroldis Chapman didn’t allow a hit in three combined scoreless innings.
–Field Level Media
