 allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings for his first win since April 3 when he pitched six scoreless innings against St. Louis. The left-hander also held the Reds to five hits and struck out six while walking none after allowing 17 bases on balls in his first four starts. Jaso hit the first pitch of the game from Alfredo Simon (0-3) out to right-center field for his first home run of the season. It was also his fifth career homer leading off the first. Simon lowered his ERA to 13.50 from 16.39 by allowing three runs and six-plus innings. He walked four and struck out four. Francisco Cervelli's RBI single in the fifth for the Pirates snapped a 1-1 tie and chased Simon. Josh Harrison added a sacrifice fly later in the inning. Cervelli and David Freese each had two hits of the Pirates' 10 hits. Sean Rodriguez hit a two-run homer, his fourth, in the eighth to make it 5-1 after entering the game in the top of the inning at first base as a defensive replacement for Jaso. Mark Melancon got the last out for his seventh save, striking out Zack Cozart with runners on first and second. Billy Hamilton had three hits for the Reds and scored their only run in the fifth, tying it at 1 when he came around from first base on Cozart's double. Cincinnati has scored just 10 runs during its losing streak. The Pirates' Jordy Mercer extended his hitting streak to seven games. TRAINER'S ROOMReds: RHP Raisel Iglesias may miss his scheduled start Sunday against the Pirates in the finale of the three-game series after feeling discomfort in his shoulder Friday during a throwing session. ... RHP Anthony DeSclafani (strained oblique) felt tightness in his side late in his rehab start Friday when he pitched five scoreless innings for Class A Dayton and will be evaluated by the team's medical staff. ... C Devin Mesoraco (sore left shoulder) missed his second straight game but could be in the lineup Sunday. Pirates: RHP Jared Hughes (strained left lat muscle), who was injured late in spring training, was activated from the 15-day disabled list and RHP Rob Scahill was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. ZIKA TALKMajor League Baseball medical director Gary Green held an hour-long meeting with the Pirates prior to the game. Players from both the Pirates and Miami Marlins have expressed concerns about playing their scheduled two-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from May 30-31 over fears of contracting the Zika virus. According to the Center for Disease Control, Zika can cause a birth defect called microcephaly, which causes infants to be born with very small heads and underdeveloped brains. The virus is spread by mosquito bites and sexual intercourse and those infected might not show symptoms, which can heighten the risk of spreading the infection. PLAY OF THE DAYReds second baseman Brandon Phillips made an outstanding play to retire Jaso in the sixth inning. He charged a slow roller and made a behind-the-back throw to first baseman Joey Votto. UP NEXTReds: If Iglesias (1-1, 3.49) is unable to pitch, RHP Tim Adleman is expected to be called up from Triple-A Louisville and make his major league debut. Pirates: LHP Jeff Locke (1-2, 5.03) is coming off his first win of the season as he pitched six shutout innings Monday night at Colorado after having a 7.24 ERA in his first three starts.
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Time: 07:05 P.M. EST Venue: PNC Park
The perfect draw for a struggling pitching staff right now might be the Cincinnati Reds' slumping lineup. The right matchup to keep offensive production flowing may be their pitchers, too. The Pittsburgh Pirates will get another crack at both Saturday night when they go for their sixth straight win while trying to hand the visiting Reds as many losses in a row. Both sides of the equation held up in Pittsburgh's series-opening 4-1 victory Friday night, its third straight at PNC Park. Home runs from Josh Harrison and Matt Joyce were more than enough as the Pirates (14-9) held the Reds to six hits. Cincinnati (9-14) has lost seven of eight games, totaling 10 runs in the losses - just the right medicine for a Pirates' staff that surrendered 32 earned runs in its previous six contests. Maybe the ugliest pitching line in that stretch came from Francisco Liriano's last start on Sunday, though the left-hander was pleased with his stuff. Three of the four runs he gave up came off two early homers, but Liriano (1-1, 4.64 ERA) settled down to hold Arizona to four runs in six innings of an eventual 12-10, 13-inning win." Location-wise, everything was a lot more sharp. It was working a lot better down in the zone," Liriano told MLB's official website. "Just get ahead in the count and not try to do too much. That got better at the end." Liriano continued to struggle with his command, walking three to give him 17 free passes through his first four starts. After tossing six innings of three-hit ball in a 4-1 opening day win over St. Louis, he has allowed 16 hits and 11 runs - nine off five homers - in 15 1/3 innings his last three outings. While Liriano hopes he can continue to improve, Pittsburgh's lineup looks to keep rolling against the Reds, who have lost 13 of 17 since taking two of three from the Pirates April 8-10. Harrison's fourth-inning solo homer in the opener was his first since May 15, snapping a drought of 379 at-bats. Joyce's two-run shot in the seventh inning was his third in 28 at-bats and raised his batting average to .357 after he signed a minor league contract in spring training following a miserable 2015 with the Los Angeles Angels. The Pirates have hit nine home runs in their last four games and have averaged 12.6 hits and 8 runs during their winning streak - numbers that could keep climbing against the scuffling Alfredo Simon. Simon (0-2, 16.39) skipped a turn in Cincinnati's rotation due to biceps tendinitis but returned Sunday by surrendering eight runs and 10 hits over 2 2/3 innings in a 9-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs." The good news is his arm is feeling better, but the result wasn't very good," manager Bryan Price told MLB's official website. "We have to get him back to being sharp down in the strike zone ... to give us a chance to keep the pitch count down and keep our starters in the game." The right-hander only pitched long enough to qualify for a win in his first start while combining for 4 1/3 innings his last three outings - two starts and a relief appearance. His ERA is an astronomical 33.23 in that span after giving up 17 hits, four of them homers. Simon is 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA in four starts at PNC Park.
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