Jul 2, 2008 - 11:55 PM
0 shoutsBy Douglas Tifft PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Xavier Nady swung a big bat for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Nady's two-run homer in the fifth inning was the key blow Wednesday as the Pirates posted a 9-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
The right fielder went 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBI for Pittsburgh, which won the rubber match of the three-game series.
"I just try to have good at-bats," said Nady, who has a 12-game hitting streak and owns a .385 career average at Great American Ball Park. "Guys in front of you are getting on base, and it is kind of contagious early in the game. I just tried to relax, see good pitches and put them in play."
With the game tied at 5-5 in the top of the fifth, Nady launched a 1-1 pitch from Cincinnati rookie starter Daryl Thompson (0-2) over the wall in left field to give the Pirates a two-run lead.
It was Nady's second blast of the game and 12th of the season, capping his second two-homer effort of 2008. He also belted a pair of shots on Opening Day against the Atlanta Braves.
The Pirates pounced on Thompson early.
Five straight hits to begin the contest helped Pittsburgh to a quick 4-0 advantage. An RBI double by Luis Rivas and a run-scoring hit by Jason Bay made it 2-0 before groundouts by Adam LaRoche and Jose Bautista each plated a run.
However, rookie Jay Bruce led off the bottom of the first with a homer and, after Adam Dunn drilled a solo shot an inning later, belted a three-run blast off John Van Benschoten, giving him his first career multi-homer game and the Reds a 5-4 edge.
Van Benschoten entered the game with a focus of being more aggressive and throwing first-pitch strikes, which he did to eight of the 12 batters he faced. But he explained after the game that there was a difference between merely throwing strikes and throwing effective strikes.
"There is a difference between strikes down the middle as opposed to the outer third or inner third (of the plate)," the dispirited Van Benschoten said. "There is a big difference, and I have to do better."
Nady's one-out solo homer in the third tied the game at 5-5.
In relief of the ineffective Van Benschoten, Denny Bautista (1-0) allowed one hit in 3 1/3 innings to notch his first win of 2008. Van Benschoten was tagged for five runs and five hits in just 2 1/3 frames.
"You gotta give a lot of credit to (Denny) Bautista," Pirates manager John Russell said. "He came into a game that looked like it was going to be a slugfest and closed the door."
Thompson also struggled, surrendering seven runs, eight hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings.
"When you go out there and don't have your stuff, you've got to battle through it," Thompson said. "It's not the first time this has happened. I just didn't fight through it like I really wanted to. I tried and tried but couldn't keep the ball down."
The Pirates added insurance runs on an RBI triple by LaRoche in the seventh and a solo homer by Jose Bautista in the ninth.
From the Bleachers
-
PITTSBURGH: 9
CINCINNATI: 5
Final
Jul 2 10:12 PM -
NL
AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY JOSE BAUTISTA (10) TO CENTER WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 9TH OFF BILL BRAY.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 9, CINCINNATI 5
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J GRABOW (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Jul 2 10:02 PM -
NL
AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
TRIPLE BY ADAM LAROCHE SCORED RYAN DOUMIT.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, A LAROCHE ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 8
CINCINNATI 5 TOP, 7TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J BAUTISTA (.255, 0-FOR-3, RBI)
Jul 2 9:27 PM -
NL
AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY XAVIER NADY (12) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 5TH OFF DARYL THOMPSON SCORED RYAN DOUMIT.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 7, CINCINNATI 5
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: A LAROCHE (.233, 0-FOR-2, RBI)
Jul 2 8:38 PM -
NL
AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY XAVIER NADY (11) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 3RD OFF DARYL THOMPSON.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 5, CINCINNATI 5
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: A LAROCHE (.234, 0-FOR-1, RBI)
Jul 2 8:03 PM -
NL
AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY JAY BRUCE (6) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 2ND OFF JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN SCORED PAUL BAKO AND DARYL
THOMPSON.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4, CINCINNATI 5
DUE UP FOR CINCINNATI: J KEPPINGER (.313, 0-FOR-1)
Jul 2 7:57 PM -
NL
AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY ADAM DUNN (21) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN THE
2ND OFF JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4, CINCINNATI 2
DUE UP FOR CINCINNATI: E ENCARNACION (.246, 13 HR, 32 RBI)
Jul 2 7:48 PM -
NL
AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY JAY BRUCE (5) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 1ST OFF JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4, CINCINNATI 1
DUE UP FOR CINCINNATI: J KEPPINGER (.315, 3 HR, 22 RBI)
Jul 2 7:33 PM -
NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PITTSBURGH 4 4 5 0
CINCINNATI 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: PIT - JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN
CIN - DARYL THOMPSON
DUE UP FOR CINC
Jul 2 7:27 PM
