CINCINNATI _ Finding himself immersed in an exceptionally well-pitched ballgame Saturday night, Gerrit Cole took matters into his own hands.
His teammates who are paid to hit for a living had a bear of a time reaching base against Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo, and for good reason. The 24-year-old right-hander carried a fastball that reached 99 mph into the seventh inning and crossed up the bottom of the strike zone with a slider and changeup.
Cole put a big swing on a first-pitch fastball in the sixth inning and homered. The way he pitched, that was enough for a 1-0 victory at Great American Ball Park.
Cole (11-8) allowed five hits, all singles, in seven scoreless innings. He struck out six without walking a batter, and threw 70 of his 100 pitches for strikes.
Cole brought a 7-0 record in his past eight road games, and a 2.93 ERA in his past seven, into Great American Ball Park Saturday night. That track record stood in contrast with his history against the Reds, who have treated him unkindly since he entered the league in 2013. He is 0-6 with a 5.14 ERA when facing the Reds, and the Pirates have lost each of the nine games he started.
Seemingly determined to snap that streak, Cole dealt. His fastballs found both corners of home-plate umpire Tim Timmons's strike zone. He deployed his curveball the first time through the order and went to his slider more the second time around. One of those sliders forced nemesis Scooter Gennett, who entered 8 for 20 against Cole, to corkscrew himself into the ground on a strikeout in the fifth.
The Reds managed four singles through six innings. Scott Schebler had two of them. The other two came on grounders to first base, one that got past Josh Bell and another that Bell fielded, but he was too far from the bag to tag it and Cole didn't get there in time.
Since losing to the Pirates in the 2013 wild-card game, the Reds have entered a rebuilding effort now in its fourth year. Only Joey Votto and Zack Cozart remain from the Reds' wild-card starting lineup; they traded Johnny Cueto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier.
The result has been a team that can still hit _ and hit with power in homer-friendly Great American Ball Park _ and field, but has been unable in recent years to assemble a competent rotation or bullpen.
Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani, Brandon Finnegan and Bronson Arroyo have been hurt. When right-hander Tyler Mahle makes his major league debut Sunday, he will become the ninth rookie starter and 16th rookie pitcher to appear in a game for the Reds. During the past three seasons, rookies have started 49 percent of the Reds' games.
Castillo has been the bright spot. The Reds acquired him from the Miami Marlins in the Dan Straily trade, and he made his debut June 23, jumping from Class AA to the majors to do so. In 12 starts entering Saturday he had a 3.45 ERA and 9{ strikeouts per nine innings.
The Pirates lacked a baserunner until Castillo walked Chris Stewart in the third. They didn't hit a ball out of the infield until the fourth, when Bell hit a two-out double. David Freese followed with a single, but Adam Duvall, who leads the major leagues in outfield assists, threw Bell out at the plate.
Cole led off the sixth inning. He had seen Castillo's stuff in the third, when he successfully bunted Stewart to second. The first pitch from Castillo, a 95-mph fastball, sped toward the inner half of the plate. Cole turned on it and launched it into the stands in left field for his third career home run.
Castillo (2-7) struck out nine in seven innings and allowed three hits. Cole made sure one hit was enough.
