Reds 5, Pirates 2
PITTSBURGH -- The Reds scored four runs before the Pittsburgh Pirates picked up their bats, and Cincinnati coasted to a 5-2 victory Wednesday night at PNC Park.
Left fielder Marlon Byrd went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead Cincinnati's 12-hit attack. The Reds scored all five of their runs with two outs.
Cincinnati improved to 6-2 against the Pirates in 2015, the Reds' best win total against any club.
Reds right-hander Mike Leake (5-4) allowed only two runs on eight hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out five.
Right-hander J.J. Hoover worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save of the season.
Pittsburgh went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole did not pitch through the fifth inning for the first time this year. Cole (11-3) was charged for a season-high five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Cincinnati center fielder Billy Hamilton led off the game off with a walk and stole second and third base. After second baseman Ivan De Jesus Jr. and first baseman Joey Votto struck out, third baseman Todd Frazier doubled to score Hamilton. Right fielder Jay Bruce followed with a double to drive in Frazier.
Byrd then hit the first pitch he saw over the center field fence for a two-run homer and a 4-0 Cincinnati lead.
Pittsburgh scored a run in the second when second baseman Neil Walker led off with a double, moved to third on third baseman Josh Harrison's sacrifice and came home on first baseman Pedro Alvarez's groundout.
Byrd drove in another run with a two-out single in the fifth that knocked Cole out of the game.
The Pirates answered in the bottom of the fifth. Alvarez led off with a single and advanced to third on a hit-and-run single by shortstop Jordy Mercer. Catcher Chris Stewart grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Alvarez and cut Cincinnati's lead to 5-2.
The Pirates advanced runners to second and third against Leake with two outs in the seventh, but he struck left fielder Starling Marte out swinging to end the threat.
Center fielder Andrew McCutchen walked leading off the eighth but was stranded at second as left-hander Manny Parra struck Alvarez out to end the inning.
NOTES: Pittsburgh 1B Corey Hart (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list before the game. RHP Chris Volstad took his place on the roster. ... Cincinnati 2B Brandon Phillips (thumb) was scratched from the lineup. ... Reds 2B Ivan De Jesus Jr., a former farmhand in Pittsburgh's organization, made his second start of the season in place of Phillips.