Reds 3, Pirates 1
Johnny Cueto pitched well into the seventh inning and the visiting Cincinnati Reds ended several streaks Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over the National League Central-leading Pittsburgh Pirates.
Joey Votto, Miguel Cairo and Edgar Renteria each drove in a run for the Reds, who ended a six-game skid against Pittsburgh and put a halt to Jeff Karstens’ career-best five-game winning streak.
Cincinnati was shut out the previous two nights, and the Reds weren't much better in this one, but a pair of errors by Pirates’ rookie shortstop Chase D’Arnaud and some timely hitting helped Cincinnati end its scoreless drought.
Cueto (6-3) didn't need much help. He allowed one run and four hits in six-plus innings for his first win in five starts. The righthander improved to 10-3 against Pittsburgh – his most victories against any team. Three relievers bridged the gap to Francisco Cordero, who worked the ninth for his 19th save in 24 chances.
Andrew McCutchen drove in the lone run for Pittsburgh, which had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell back into a tie for first place with Milwaukee in the NL Central. Karstens (8-5) suffered his first loss since May 29 despite another stellar outing. The righthander allowed one earned run and seven hits in seven innings. He is winless in six starts against Cincinnati.