PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jack Suwinski hit a two-run double to key a four-run seventh inning, powering the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 on Monday night.
Suwinski turned on a slider from Derek Law (2-1), sending it to right field. Fellow rookie Oneil Cruz, who opened the inning with his third of four straight singles, and Miguel Andújar scored to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-2. Law hit Ke’Bryan Hayes with a pitch and walked Cal Mitchell before being replaced.
Kevin Newman dropped an RBI single into right off Joel Kuhnel. Hayes scored on a sacrifice fly.
The last-place Pirates (57-97), who have won their past five against the Reds, must win at least six of their final eight games to avoid reaching 100 losses for the 10th time. Cincinnati has dropped four of five.
Yohan Ramirez (1-1) pitched the seventh and eighth for Pittsburgh, allowing two hits.
Cruz scored on a sacrifice fly by Andújar in his Pirates debut, extending the lead to 7-2 in the eighth. An RBI single from Hayes pushed it to 8-2 before a two-out homer by Aristides Aquino cut it to 8-3 in the ninth.
TJ Friedl gave Cincinnati a 2-0 lead in the third by driving a fastball from Roansy Contreras 412 feet out of PNC Park, clearing the Clemente Wall in right. The solo shot, Friedl’s eighth of the season, came before a rain delay halted play for 38 minutes after the top of the fourth.
Contreras didn’t come back out for the fifth, having allowed two runs on two hits in four innings.
Chase Anderson gave up two hits through the first four innings for the Reds before being pulled after a leadoff single by Kevin Newman in the fifth. He permitted one run and four hits with five strikeouts.
A pair of Reds errors helped the Pirates tie it following Anderson’s exit.
Reiver Sanmartin came in to walk Zack Collins before allowing a bloop single from Cruz that dropped into shallow left, resulting in Friedl tossing it past third base. Newman broke for home as the ball trickled down the line, where catcher Chuckie Robinson gathered it, and won the race to the plate.
Bryan Reynolds then grounded to second for what could have been an inning-ending double play. Instead, shortstop Jose Barrero took the exchange and sent the throw to first into the Cincinnati dugout, bringing in Collins.
Jonathan India doubled with one out in the first and scored for the Reds on a sacrifice fly.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: C José Godoy was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis. … Andújar was added to the active roster after being claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees on Sunday. … INF Michael Chavis and OF Greg Allen were designated for assignment.
UP NEXT
RHP Hunter Greene (4-13, 4.91 ERA) will go for the Reds on Tuesday, opposite Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (5-12, 3.99).
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