CHRISTOPHER PANSINO – OVATHLETICS.COM
For the second time in two nights the Pirates and Reds played an extra inning game. And for the second time the Pirates came up empty. But, that is not to say they did not deserve to win tonight, it was that Cincinnati (81-61) is just better at finding ways to win this season.
The Pirates came back from a 3-0 deficit after ridding a good performance by Charlie Morton to pull ahead in eighth inning 4-3. The big inning was the product of good hitting and a little determination. After lead off batter Ryan Doumit struck out and Ronny Cedeno singled, pinch hitter John Bowker doubled to dive in a run.
Then after the pinch-hit by Bowker, a second pinch hitter, Delwyn Young, grounded out, but managed to move Bowler over to third. After the Andrew McCutchen walk with two outs, Bowker would be driven in by Tabata as he beat out a grounder to the shortstop Orlando Cabrera.
Then after the pitching change, the Pirates managed to pull off the double steal, putting both baserunners into scoring position. And with Neil Walker to the plate with a 16 game hitting streak, he gave the Pirates the lead hitting a big 2 run RBI single up the middle.
But the Pirates were not able to hang on despite the four run eighth inning. Closer Joel Hanrahan was anything but perfect, allowing a run to score off a Chris Heisey double and sending the game into extra innings.
In the tenth after a top half that saw nothing of an offensive threat, new releaver Justin Thomas gave up a walk off homer to the first batter, Joey Votto, after four pitches. Thomas fell behind the count against Votto, but showed the same pitch twice in a row and that was all Votto needed to give the Reds the 5-4 win over the Pirates tonight.
The Pirates will finish up against the Reds Sunday afternoon.
