CINCINNATI _ The week of feasting on bad pitching staffs in hitter's ballparks continued Saturday afternoon. The Pirates lineup had its way with the Cincinnati Reds pitchers in a 10-4 victory at Great American Ball Park in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Through the first six games of the road trip, the Pirates are 4-2 and have scored 34 runs during their past three games, all victories.
"This has been a great road trip," Pirates starter Jameson Taillon said. "I feel like one through eight, one through nine, there's no easy, free outs. Tough at-bats, making guys throw pitches. I don't know what the number is, but we've hit a lot of home runs, too."
Ten home runs, to be exact, and at least one in five consecutive games.
The Pirates (73-74) need to win games like this, against inferior opponents, to have any hope of hanging on in the wild-card race They are five games back of the New York Mets, with another game against the Reds remaining and the Mets playing later tonight.
Taillon batted before he threw a pitch in a four-run first inning, and he drove in a run in the fifth. Sean Rodriguez homered for the third time in his past five games. Alen Hanson, starting his first major league game, reached base four times, Josh Bell doubled twice and Francisco Cervelli reached in all five of his plate appearances.
"They're just stringing at-bats together," manager Clint Hurdle said. "They're seeing balls. They're not missing pitches."
The Reds showered the Pirates with walks and errors. The Pirates converted. Anthony DeSclafani walked three batters in the first inning and two of them scored. Brandon Phillips made two errors, both of which led to runs, and Adam Duvall dropped what should have been the third out of the sixth inning in left field to allow a run to score.
"I just like the fact that we're not forcing things," Hurdle said.
Taillon spent a good portion of his five innings pitching out of the stretch. He stranded runners in scoring position in the first and second innings. Adam Duvall curled a third consecutive curveball around the left-field foul pole in the third, cutting the Pirates' lead in half.
Taillon then stranded more runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth. He allowed nine hits and a walk.
"Definitely not my best one, but it's September and we're here to get outs and get people out," Taillon said. "They gave me a big lead so I was just trying to push through it."
