PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) – Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a key triple and Rich Hill got through five innings for the win as the streaking Pittsburgh Pirates extended their winning streak to six games Saturday night with a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
The Pirates raised their record to 15-7 for their best start since 1992, the last time they won a division title. It is also Pittsburgh’s longest winning streak since an 11-game run in 2018.
Bryan Reynolds had two doubles and a sacrifice fly, while Hayes and Tucupita Marcano added two hits each for the Pirates.
The Reds got two hits apiece from Stuart Fairchild and Jose Barrero but have managed just six runs during their five-game losing streak.
Hill (2-2) won his second consecutive start. The 43-year-old lefty pitched one-run ball and struck out seven, though he gave up six hits and three walks.
Yohan Ramirez and Duane Underwood Jr. followed Hill with two scoreless innings each to finish the game. Underwood earned his second save.
Luis Cessa (0-3) allowed two runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings while striking out four and walking none. It was a major improvement over his previous start last Sunday when he was rocked for nine runs in the first inning of a loss to Philadelphia and 11 runs and 14 hits overall in three innings.
The Pirates took a 2-0 lead against Cessa.
Hayes tripled past a diving Barrero, the center fielder, to lead off the first inning and scored on Reynolds’ sacrifice fly. Carlos Santana and Jack Suwinski hit back-to-back doubles in the fourth to produce a run.
The Reds got their run in the fifth. It was unearned as Jonathan India scored when center fielder Ji Hwan Bae mishandled Fairchild’s single and was charged with an error.
