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Dumatrait sharp as Pirates cruise past Reds

May 30, 2008 - 3:07 AM By Douglas Tifft PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Phil Dumatrait made sure his return to Cincinnati was a memorable one.

Dumatrait hurled seven excellent innings Thursday to power the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Jason Bay hit a two-run home run and Xavier Nady belted a solo shot and drove in two for Pittsburgh, which avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of Cincinnati.

Dumatrait (2-2) was brilliant, yielding a run - none earned - and two hits and two walks for his best outing since becoming a starter on May 2.

"Phil did a great job of commanding the strike zone down and using both sides of the plate and mixing speeds well," Pirates manager John Russell said. "From the first pitch on, he did a great job."

The lefthander, who posted the longest outing of his two-year career, also struck out a career-high nine batters.

The 27-year-old also got some redemption against Cincinnati, which released him last September following several inconsistent outings.

"I was definitely looking forward to getting back on the mound here," Dumatrait said of his return. "Obviously it did not go as planned while I was here last year, but the Reds gave me an opportunity here and I had a good time (while I was here)."

Dumatrait was 0-4 with a 15.00 ERA in six starts with the Reds in 2007 before he was let go, but has rebounded in 2008 to go 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in six starts for the Pirates since being converted from the bullpen.

"I have been trying to pitch off of my fastball, both in and away," Dumatrait added. "And it has been working for me. I feel stronger every time I go out there."

Pittsburgh led 3-1 after three innings before Bay's 13th homer off Cincinnati starter Aaron Harang (2-7) in the fourth helped push the advantage out to five.

For Bay, it was his 14th career home run at Great American Ballpark, second most among visiting players behind Lance Berkman's 18.

"It's just seeing the ball better and being comfortable, and like I said this is a hitter's park," Bay said of his success in Cincinnati.

Freddy Sanchez had a sacifice fly earlier in the fourth.

Harang gave up six runs and 10 hits in four innings to suffer his sixth loss in seven decisions.

Harang was working on a quick turnaround after throwing 63 pitches in four innings of relief during the Reds' 12-9 loss in 18 innings Sunday at San Diego.

Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker, who has a history of overworking pitchers, recognized that his ace had a tired arm.

"(Harang) is not using (short rest as an excuse), I'm not using it, but I'm giving it to him because that's a fact," Baker said.

Nady drilled his ninth homer off Jeremy Affeldt in the fifth to make it 7-1.

Dumatrait was lifted at the beginning of the eighth after throwing 60 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

Pirates reliever John Grabow worked a scoreless eighth before closer Matt Capps surrendered a two-out solo homer to Brandon Phillips in the ninth to finish the scoring.