Pittsburgh Pirates

Bucs win 8th straight, move 1 game over .500

Starling Marte reaches back for the bag as Scooter Gennett tags him out during the first inning at Great American Ball Park on July 21, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Corey Dickerson hit two first-pitch home runs, rookie Nick Kingham overcame another Cincinnati rain delay to pitch six shutout innings and drive in two runs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Reds 6-2 Saturday for their season-high eighth straight win.

Dickerson homered on the first pitches he saw from Anthony DeSclafani (4-3) in the third and fifth innings for his seventh career multihomer game, helping the Pirates to their longest winning streak since an eight-game stretch Sept. 19-26, 2015.

Josh Bell added four hits, including a run-scoring double in the fourth, to help send the Reds to their third straight loss, their longest slump since a four-game losing streak June 2-6.

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The game was delayed 47 minutes by rain in the middle of the fourth inning, one night after the start was held up 2 hours, 55 minutes.

Kingham allowed just one runner past second base before Curt Casali knocked him out of the game with a two-run homer that just barely reached the left field seats in the seventh.

Kingham (5-4) earned his third win in his last three starts, limiting the Reds to four hits and two runs with three strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. He also grounded a two-run single up the middle through a drawn-in infield in the sixth.

Ervin Santana finished the seventh, Kyle Crick pitched a perfect eighth against Reds All-Stars Scooter Gennett, Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez and All-Star Felipe Vazquez escaped a one-out, two-on jam in the ninth.

Dickerson bounced a sharp one-hopper off DeSclafani's left ankle leading off the game. DeSclafani was able to last 4 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and three runs with two walks and six strikeouts.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: C Francisco Cervelli was eligible to be activated from the seven-day concussion disabled list on Saturday, but manager Clint Hurdle said Cervelli had not resumed baseball activities.

Reds: INF Alex Blandino will undergo season-ending surgery on Monday to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. INF-OF Brandon Dixon was recalled from Triple-A Louisville to replace Blandino.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (5-6) is 3-1 with a 3.51 ERA in seven starts since being reinstated from the disabled list on June 10. He'd been out with a sprained right ring finger.

Reds: Matt Harvey (5-5) is 4-0 over his last five starts. He hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of those appearances.