PITTSBURGH (AP) — Elly De La Cruz had three hits and drove in a pair of runs as the Cincinnati Reds breezed past the sloppy Pittsburgh Pirates 10-2 on Saturday night.
Jonathan India and TJ Friedl added two hits apiece for the Reds, who beat the Pirates for just the third time in nine meetings this season.
De La Cruz hit an RBI single in the fifth and a run-scoring double in the sixth. The 6-foot-5 shortstop also boosted his stolen base total to a major league-leading 61 by swiping second base after a one-out walk in the first inning. De La Cruz eventually scored on a single by Stephenson as part of a four-run outburst against Jake Woodford (0-6).
“The style of play, I think, is exactly what we want,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Always playing hard. It was nice for it to work out. Aggressive baserunning. Big at-bats offensively, it was a good game."
Rookie Julian Aguiar (1-0) allowed two runs in six innings to pick up his first career victory. The 23-year-old right-hander, Cincinnati's minor league Pitcher of the Year in 2023, struck out four against two walks in his second start since being called up to help the Reds' injury-depleted pitching staff.
“My mentality wasn’t to come up here and think ‘I’m going to be here for a week,’” Aguiar said. "It’s ‘Come take a spot.’”
Casey Kelly, recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday, pitched three innings for his first career save. It was the first major league appearance for the 34-year-old right-hander since 2018.
Rowdy Tellez hit his 11th homer of the season for the Pirates, a towering shot off Aguiar that became the 80th ball to reach the Allegheny River when it splashed into the water following a bounce.
The shot was the lone highlight for the Pirates on a night when the club inducted outfielder Barry Bonds, catcher Manny Sanguillen and manager Jim Leyland into its Hall of Fame.
The Reds wasted little time pouncing on an ineffective Woodford, whose time in the rotation may be nearing an end. Cincinnati touched Woodford for four in the first and added four more in the fourth as Woodford's ERA soared to 8.01.
Unlike Friday night — when the Reds let a five-run lead slip away in what became a 6-5 loss — this time there would be no meltdown.
Instead, it was the Pirates who scuffled, making errors in the field and on the basepaths, most notably in the fourth inning when Oneil Cruz was tagged out trying to advance from second to third on a grounder to third base by catcher Joey Bart.
Santiago Espinal easily tagged out a sliding Cruz, who drew a groan from the sixth sellout crowd of the season on his way back to the dugout.
“We didn’t play good baseball tonight,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. "We made baserunning mistakes, we made defensive mistakes, we didn’t play well.”
Things grew so bleak for Pittsburgh late that Tellez made his second career appearance on the mound in the ninth. The left-handed Tellez pitched a scoreless frame and induced Luke Maile into a double play on a 70 mph fastball.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Reds: RHP Hunter Greene (right elbow) said he is dealing with inflammation but the UCL in the elbow remains in good shape. Greene, who has been out since Aug. 13, will not throw for at least another two weeks while the swelling goes down.
Pirates: Shelton said the team is trying to figure out when rookie RHP Jared Jones (lat strain) will make his next start. Jones, who has been out since July 3, has made three rehab starts for Triple-A Indianapolis. ... RHP Hunter Stratton ruptured the patella tendon in his left knee after falling awkwardly while trying to retrieve the ball near the backstop following a wild pitch.
UP NEXT
The series wraps up on Sunday. Luis Ortiz (5-4, 3.56 ERA) starts for the Pirates. The Reds have yet to announce a starter.
