Thu May 29 22:11:51 2008

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Dumatrait dazzles as Bucs down Reds

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Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Phil Dumatrait was brilliant on the mound, as the Pittsburgh Pirates clobbered the Cincinnati Reds, 7-2, to avoid a three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park.

Dumatrait (2-2) tossed a career-high seven innings, yielding one unearned run on two hits. He also struck out a career-high nine batters and walked two.

Jason Bay belted a two-run homer and doubled for Pittsburgh, which snapped a two-game skid. Xavier Nady hit a solo home run and added an RBI double, while Jason Michaels doubled twice and knocked in a run. Jack Wilson finished 2- for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Aaron Harang (2-7), who made his fourth career relief appearance in Sunday's 18-inning marathon that the Reds ultimately lost, 12-9, to San Diego, was tagged for six runs on 10 hits in only four innings of work.

Brandon Phillips clubbed a solo homer for Cincinnati, which saw it's nine-game home winning streak come to an abrupt end and was limited to only four hits in the game. Jerry Hairston Jr. went 2-for-4 and scored a run, while Adam Dunn notched the other hit for the Reds.

The Pirates jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on Wilson's RBI double, but Cincinnati tied the game in the bottom half on a miscue.

With one out, Hairston bunted for a base hit before Dumatrait nailed Jay Bruce with a pitch. Dumatrait then induced a grounder off the bat of Phillips that should have been a twin-killing, but Freddy Sanchez's relay throw sailed wide of first base, allowing Hairston to score.

Doubles by Bay, Nady and Michaels plated two runs in the third for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Raul Chavez doubled down the left-field line to lead off the inning, advanced to third on Dumatrait's sacrifice bunt and scampered home on Sanchez's sac fly. After Wilson singled, Bay drilled Harang's 1-0 fastball into the seats in left field to give the visitors a 6-1 lead.

Pittsburgh added another run in the fifth when Nady hammered the first pitch dealt by Jeremy Affeldt over the wall in right.

Phillips' solo blast in the ninth accounted for the final score.

Game Notes

The Pirates have homered in 11 of their last 13 games (18 homers total)...Before the game, Pittsburgh recalled pitcher Bryan Bullington from Indianapolis (PCL) and optioned pitcher Marino Salas to Indianapolis. Cincinnati reinstated pitcher Kent Mercker from the 15-day disabled list and optioned pitcher Matt Belisle to Louisville (Int.).