Pirates make 4 errors, 6-game win streak ends, fall to Reds

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Despite three late comebacks, the Pirates' chances of extending their winning streak couldn't endure some shoddy defense.

Pittsburgh committed a season-high four errors in addition to misplaying some other balls during a 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in 11 innings Sunday.

"Any time you get up with four errors, that's not where you want to be," manager Clint Hurdle said.

"We did some nice things today. Unfortunately, a couple balls beat us over the top," he said.

The Pirates had won six in a row.

Scott Schebler hit an RBI double in the 11th inning and the Reds snapped a six-game losing streak.

Eugenio Suarez led off the Reds 11th with a triple past diving left fielder Starling Marte. Schebler hit a liner that right fielder Gregory Polanco misjudged and the ball went over his head.

Ryan Vogelsong (1-1) took the loss. Blake Wood (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings, including a perfect 11th.

The Reds won for only the second time since being no-hit by the Cubs' Jake Arrieta on April 21.

Polanco and John Jaso homered for the Pirates.

Jaso hit a solo home run with two outs in the ninth off Ross Ohlendorf that made it 5-all. The drive landed in the first row of seats atop the 21-foot wall in right field.

Polanco led off the fifth with his third homer. It became the 39th home run ball to reach the Allegheny River in the 16 seasons of PNC Park.

The Pirates rallied to tie the game during each the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

"We got in our own way a couple times, but we battled, and everybody kept playing" Hurdle said. "We scored late, they scored late. It was like throwing punches at one another — and they were able to throw one more than we were."

Cincinnati turned to 28-year-old Tim Adleman to make his major league debut after putting scheduled starter Raisel Iglesias on the disabled list earlier Sunday because of an impingement in his right shoulder.

Adleman was pitching in independent leagues in 2012-13 before working his way up the Reds organization from Single-A over the past two-plus years. He allowed five baserunners over six-plus innings and was lifted with a 3-1 lead after allowing a leadoff single to Marte in the seventh.

Adleman's chance at his first major league win were dashed when, after one out, Sean Rodriguez hit an RBI triple and scored on pinch hitter Matt Joyce's broken-bat single.

Pirates starter Jeff Locke gave up three runs and four hits in seven innings.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: Hurdle waited longer than usual to post the lineup. Marte was hit in the left hand by a pitch Saturday; Andrew McCutchen, who started in center, had "a cranky knee" late Saturday night, general manager Neal Huntington said on his weekly radio show. ... Huntington also said on KDKA-FM on Sunday that 3B Jung Ho Kang will likely play "two of every three" games once he rejoins the Pirates from his rehabilitation stint in Triple-A that followed a major knee injury late last season.

UP NEXT

Reds: Cincinnati heads back home to host a familiar face in RHP Johnny Cueto, who will start for San Francisco on Monday at Great American Ball Park. Cueto (4-1, 2.65) spent eight seasons with the Reds, making his first 213 starts before being traded to Kansas City last summer for, among others, LHP Brandon Finnegan. Finnegan (1-1, 3.86) will start vs. Cueto.

Pirates: Pittsburgh faces the Cubs for the first time since the teams met in last October's wild-card game. The three-game series between the top two teams in the NL Central begins in Pittsburgh with Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (2-2, 2.78) facing Chicago RHP Jason Hammel (3-0, 0.75).

This story was written by the Associated Press. 

Associated Press