PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jake Fraley had three RBIs and scored four times to power the Cincinnati Reds to a 9-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
Fraley led off Sunday by grooving an 0-2 curveball from Zach Thompson (3-10) 341 feet to right for his seventh homer and fourth in six games. He walked in three of his next four plate appearances, and also drove in two runs with a single off the right-field wall in the sixth.
“He is locked in,” Reds manager David Bell said of Fraley. “You can see he has a really good approach at the plate. Great idea of the strike zone.””
Cincinnati took two of three from Pittsburgh, which has dropped eight of 10.
Reds left-hander Mike Minor (2-10) won for the first time since June 13, despite surrendering five runs on nine hits. Minor gave up two in the first, but was handed back a 3-2 lead when Mike Moustakas hit a two-run home run in the third that went 416 feet and landed in the final row above the wall in right.
Moustakas was 5 for 14 in his first series back from a calf injury, and has 12 home runs and 20 RBIs in 31 career games at PNC Park.
“Happy to be playing again and having fun out there again. … I like the way I see the ball here. The right field feels like it’s right there,” he said.
Fraley scored the third of four runs off Manny Bañuelos in the sixth, stealing second after his two-run single before going home on a triple from Jonathan India. Donovan Solano capped the outburst with an RBI single, making it 7-2.
Thompson was replaced by Bañuelos after using 78 pitches to get through five innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
Minor’s outing ended on a two-out, two-run double from Tucupita Marcano in the sixth. Jason Delay drove in Marcano with a single off Ian Gibaut, cutting the deficit to two.
“Felt like we threw some good pitches away to him and then we tried to go front-door slider and I missed down the middle. Then he gets the hit down the line because we weren’t really playing him there,” Minor said of the Marcano double. “He hits the ball down the line and gets a triple out of it, scores some runs and acts like he’s a really good hitter. … It was just a stupid pitch.”
Fraley scored for a fourth time on a single from Solano in the eighth. An RBI single from Nick Senzel then pushed the lead to four.
ROSTER MOVES
Pirates: LHP Cam Vieaux was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis. … RHP Yohan Ramirez was optioned to Indianapolis. … C José Godoy was designated for assignment.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: RHP Hunter Greene threw a bullpen Sunday. The rookie, who has been out with a strained right shoulder since Aug. 1, is expected to throw another bullpen in Philadelphia on Wednesday. … INF Matt Reynolds left the game after the seventh inning with hip soreness.
Pirates: 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (back spasms) could return Tuesday after having a full workout Saturday.
UP NEXT
Reds: RHP Luis Cessa (3-1, 5.50 ERA) will go Monday in the first of a four-game set at Philadelphia. He has made 34 straight relief appearances since his last start, which came April 14 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Noah Syndergaard (7-8, 3.95) gets the ball for the Phillies.
Pirates: RHP Roansy Contreras (3-3, 4.02) will start Monday to kick off a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. He’ll face Jake Odorizzi (4-5, 4.15).
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