Pirates 1, Reds 0

Jason Bay's 423-foot home run off Jared Burton in the sixth was all the Pirates needed to beat the Reds on the night when a couple of well-placed gappers would have meant four or five runs for Redlegs.

“Burton pitched well except that one pitch to Bay,” Dusty Baker said. “That’s one guy who you don’t want to hurt you and he hurt you. That was one mistake was the whole ball game.”

The missed chances had Baker shaking his head. They left 12 runners on base. They loaded the bases in the first and seventh. Each time, Edwin Encarnacion, who came into the season hitting .488 with the bases full, popped out. Overall, the Reds were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

“We had a number of chances,” Baker said. “We had a runner in scoring position every inning through the seventh. We just couldn’t get that one hit.”

Edinson Volquez didn’t have his best stuff, He only struck out one, but he managed to throw five shutout innings.

“We keep getting that good pitching and we’re going to win a bunch of games in a row,” Baker said. “But it doesn’t take away the pain of tonight.”

The game was delayed 20 minutes at the start and 62 minutes in the sixth.

The Reds put four runners on base in the first and didn't score. Norris Hopper reached on an error. Jeff Keppinger hit into 6-4-3 DP. Junior Griffey was hit by a pitch. BPhillips singled. And Adam Dunn walked. But Edwin Encarnacion, a .488 career hitter with the bases full, grounded out.

The Reds blew another opportunity in the second. Paul Bako singled with one out. Volquez tried to bunt him over. Catcher Ryan Doumit's throw had Bako at second but Luis Rivas mishandled it. Hopper tried to bunt Bako in. Instead Hopper lined a bunt at first baseman Adam LaRoche, who threw to third for double play. Had there been no outs, it would have been as easy triple play.

“I just got under,” Hopper said. “In that situation I’m usually money. Hopefully, it won’t happen again.”