Pirates Hijack The Series From Reds 5-3

For the second straight game, Pirates pitching ate up the best hitting team in the National League.

Two forces of momentum, going in opposite directions, defied the odds.

The Pirates lost six games in a row before coming to Cincinnati and the Reds won five in a row before hosting the Bucs.

Pittsburgh behind James McDonald beat the Reds and Johnny Cueto.

"They're playing us tough all year," Dusty Baker said.  "We had two well pitched games against us.  It shows you that anyone can beat you with good pitching.  It was a good home stand.  Now we have the longest road trip of the season and we're playing some pretty good teams."

Jay Bruce sat out the first game against the Pirates with the flu but started the scoring with his first home run of the game in the second inning.  The blow to right immediately followed a wildness induced threat by the Pirates in the top of the inning.  McDonald lined out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Baker had the team cook make Bruce some chicken soup and it helped but in a strange way it came back to help the Pirates as did a diving catch of a hit and run line drive hit by Edgar Renteria by Andrew McCutchen to double up Chris Heisey, who singled.

"Bruce's home run kind of woke me up and got the adrenaline going," McDonald said.  "When I saw the catch (by McCutchen), I told,  they're playing behind me."

Bruce said, "The day off helped.  The worst is the coughing.  My stomach and side hurts from the coughing.  I don't know how much it helped but the chicken soup was really good.  I just wish we'd have won the game."

Bruce also added a single and his 10th home run of the game, leading off the ninth off Joel Hanrahan, who earned the save.

Cueto entered the game with a 0.00 earned run average.  He put four more scoreless innings in the book before Xavier Paul hit an RBI single and Neil Walker cracked a two-out, two-run double in the fifth.

Wildness in the second inning taxed Cueto and led to his demise.

"I was flying open in the second inning.  I was falling behind in the fifth," Cueto said.  "My arm feels strong."

"Johnny was pretty good but he had a lot of pitches.  He had a lot of three ball counts in the fifth.  It was a 3-2 pitch to Walker with runners moving.  He had to come in with a strike.  Walker's been a thorn in our side this year."

The Reds and Pirates have already played six games at Great American Ball Park with Pittsbugh winning five of them.  Last season the Reds were 5-4 against the Pirates at GABP.

Bruce noticed one difference between the Pirates this year and last year.

"When they get guys on base, they take good at bats.  They are a lot better this year," Bruce said.