Suarez Swats Three, Bucs Fall 6-2; Alford Injured

Willy worked a nice, quiet first. Erik Gonzalez opened with a double against Anthony DeSclafani, but the Bucs couldn’t get him home. The Reds got a two-out boot by J-Bell followed by a walk in the second, but all it cost Trevor was some extra pitches. Pittsburgh copied with a Kevin Newman rap and Anthony Alford walk with two away but couldn’t light the scoreboard. Tucker Barnhart opened the scoring with a leadoff long ball in the third. To double the pain, Alford thought he had a shot at it and crashed hard into the wall, leaving the game favoring his arm as Tuck came on. A double, grounder and walk left Redlegs at the corners, and Eugenio Suarez’s homer made it 4-0. Another out was followed by a single, stolen base and pick off to end the frame. Gonzo and Fraze banged knocks to start it up, ending up on second and third thanks to a late throw to third. A comebacker left them there, then a Redbeard walk juiced the bags. Gregory’s sac fly, smoked but par for the course right at someone, plated Gonzalez before J-Bell’s deflected liner ended it 4-5-3. Not a lotta ball luck this frame…

Cincy made no noise in the fourth. The Bucs chipped away with a Jake Stallings bomb; Gonzo posted his third hit before the bell rang. Willy worked a clean fifth. B-Rey worked a patient, pro walk, bringing on Michael Lorenzen from the pen. He induced a 6-4-3 DP from Colin, then fanned Gregory. Willy came out for the sixth and Suarez took him deep again to make the score 5-2. He finished the frame, tossing 111 pitches. J-Bell and Gonzo walked around a Tuck rap to load the sacks with two away. Amir Garrett took the ball and K’ed Fraze. Derek Holland struck out the side in the seventh; Garrett fanned two of the three Buccos. Suarez struck again in the eighth, losing his third ball of the night. Lucas Sims surrendered a walk and nada else. Kyle Crick worked the ninth, and posted a whiff, walk and zero. Archie Bradley watched his guys throw around a couple of balls to put Buccos on the corners with an out, but Redbeard rolled into his second DP of the night to put it to bed.

One team hits four homers; the other goes 0-for-9 with RISP and strands 11 runners. Guess who wins?

Notes:

• Gonzo had three hits and a walk tonight. J-Bell was the only other Bucco to reach base twice, both via free passes.
• Willy went to a different look today; he worked exclusively out of the stretch.
• It never ends – The Pirates announced that Anthony Alford fractured his right elbow.
• Tonight was the first career three-homer game for Eugenio Suarez.