CINCINNATI — Nathaniel Lowe beat out a potential inning-ending double play with the bases loaded, and it enabled Elly De La Cruz to score the winning run for a 3-2 Reds win over the Pirates during Thursday’s four-game series opener at Great American Ball Park.
De La Cruz led Cincinnati with three doubles while reaching safely four times. His leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth was scorched at 115.7 mph to left field and set the winning rally in motion. Sal Stewart was intentionally walked and Tyler Stephenson’s one-out walk loaded the bases for Lowe.
With the infield in, Lowe hit a slow grounder to the middle. Shortstop Jared Triolo flipped to second base for the force play, but Lowe beat the throw to first base just in time to end the game.
Closer Emilio Pagán had a pair of strikeouts as he worked around a two-out single in the top of the ninth inning for the victory.
Reds starter Rhett Lowder pitched six innings and gave up two runs and five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Lowder was staked to a 2-0 lead in the third inning when De La Cruz’s RBI double to left-center field scored Matt McLain from first base, and De La Cruz came home on Stewart’s RBI single to right field.
It was Stewart’s team-leading 80th RBI of the season, and the Reds’ only hit with runners in scoring position in 15 tries.
After Lowder gave up a double and a single to open the fifth inning, Pittsburgh plated its first run on Jacob Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly. Leading off the top of the sixth, Brandon Lowe lifted a first-pitch curveball from Lowder for a game-tying homer to right field.
