I am a freelance writer. I've covered the Cincinnati Reds, Bengals and others since 1992.
I have a background in sales as well. I've sold consumer electronics, advertising and consumer package goods for companies ranging from the now defunct Circuit City to Procter&Gamble.
I have worked as a stats operator for Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati, the College of Mount St. Joe and Colerain High School.
The Reds were 5-2, 5-1/2 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates but wanted more.
A.J. Burnett is now 8-0 after a Pirates' loss. He defeated the Reds for the third time already this year by pitching 8-2/3 innings in a 6-2 win over Cincinnati.
“You get greedy," Dusty Baker said. "When you start winning every day, two out of three isn’t good enough. We went 5-2 on the home stand, but you always want more. We’re in a situation now where, hopefully, we get some guys back. Our guys have fought through some adversity.”
The Reds have six more games in what has quickly become an intense rivalry that resembles the football rivalry between the two cities.
“It was intense all the time, but we’ve got to beat everybody else, too. We’ll worry about the Pirates when they come up on the schedule," Baker said.
Burnett is now 14-3 on the season. Homer Bailey, his mound opponent, fell to 9-6.
Jay Bruce got the Reds off to a good start with a run scoring double for his 67th RBI of the season. He extended his hitting streak to seven games.
Neil Walker's two-run home run put Pittsburgh on top, 2-1 in the second inning.
Drew Stubbs hit his 14th home run to tie the game in the third.
After that Burnett retired 18 straight batters. He walked Bruce and Ryan Ludwick with two outs in the ninth preventing him from pitching a complete game.
Rookie Starling Marte tripled home two runs with a two-strikes against him and two outs. The bullpen took over for Bailey and held the Pirates until the ninth.
“Homer wasn’t real sharp," Baker said. "Burnett was real sharp. He got into trouble early, but he got out of it and sailed along until the ninth. He’s tough. He’s rediscovered himself. He’s not 14-3 for nothing.”
Logan Ondrusek gave up Andrew McCutchen's 23rd home run of the season after the Reds' staff retired the Pirates' star seven straight times. The Major League's leading hitter was 2 for 11 in the series for a .182 average. Todd Frazier's error at thirdbase allowed Pittsburgh to score the sixth run of the contest.
The Reds retain the best record in baseball at 66-42. They are 4-1/2 games ahead of the Pirates and head to Milwaukee to face the struggling Brewers.
Pittsburgh starts an 11 game homestand on Monday night. They host Arizona for four games, San Diego for three games and Los Angeles for four games.
Professionally edited by ML Schirmer for proofreading services Call 513-240-3120
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