Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Johnny Cueto was utterly dominant during a one-hit, complete game in Cincinnati's 9-0 blanking of Pittsburgh in the second of three games from PNC Park.
Johnny Cueto One-Hits The Pirates, Cincinnati Beats Pittsburgh, 9-0
Cueto (2-1) struck out eight with no walks and did not permit a runner to advance past first base in his finest outing of the year and first career complete game and shutout. The right-hander threw 103 pitches -- 67 for strikes -- and set down the last 11 batters he faced.
Chris Heisey collected his first three major league hits, including a home run, for the Reds, who have won four in a row and 11 of their last 15.
Jay Bruce had three hits and drove in three for Cincinnati, which has taken 12 of the last 16 meetings between the two teams.
Charlie Morton (1-6) lasted six innings for the Pirates and absorbed the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits, while walking two and fanning four.
Ronny Cedeno had the only Pirates hit, a third-inning single, and was also hit by a pitch to serve as the only Pittsburgh batter to reach base.
Heisey started the game by legging out an infield hit, the first of his career, and went to third on a Brandon Phillips single. Phillips moved to second base on a wild pitch and Joey Votto followed with a sacrifice fly to score Heisey and push Phillips to third. Scott Rolen doubled to score Phillips for a 2-0 game.
Bruce tripled with one out in the sixth and scored on a two-out double by Ramon Hernandez to increase the visitors' lead to 3-0.
D.J. Carrasco gave way to Jack Taschner with one on and one out in the seventh and an infield hit by Votto and a walk to Rolen loaded the bases for Bruce, who cashed in with a two-run single to right to extend the Reds lead to 5-0.
The Reds put the finishing touches on the game with a four-run eighth against Jeff Karstens, highlighted by Heisey's two-run homer to left field. Votto and Bruce completed the onslaught with run-scoring hits later in the frame.
Phillips, Votto, Rolen and Hernandez each had two hits...Heisey’s long ball was the first allowed by the Pirates in 64 innings...Cueto improved to 7-2 lifetime against the Pirates and 4-1 at PNC Park...Bruce has hits in six straight games, while Votto has hit safely in nine of ten and 13 out of 15...The Reds are three games over the .500 mark for the first time since June 11, 2009, when they were 31-28...John Smiley was the last Reds pitcher, on September 22, 1996, to author a complete game one-hitter...Morton is 1-3 in four career starts against the Reds...This was the first of the five games between the teams this season that was not decided by two runs or less.
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