Reds top Pirates, end 13-game losing skid
PITTSBURGH - Joey Votto's streak of reaching base came to an end on Saturday, but after the game he was smiling, because the Reds won.
Votto's streak ended at 48 games, but so too did the Reds' 13-game losing streak.
After tying Pete Rose for the modern day club record on Friday, Votto simply said he didn't care about the record, because it came in a loss. In the win Saturday, he still didn't care about the record, because the Reds won.
"Neither had anything to do with one another — all I cared about is not playing pathetic baseball, not losing on a consistent basis and coming here and being disappointed every day," Votto said afterward.
Votto's RBI groundout put the Reds on the board in the first, and then Brandon Phillips scored after a single and a stolen base on Todd Frazier's RBI double.
That 2-0 lead was all rookie lefty Brandon Finnegan would need, despite giving up a run in the first.
Finnegan earned his second win for the Reds, throwing a career-best six innings, a mark he hadn't even matched in the minors - allowing just three hits and two walks, striking out a career-best six.
"He looked real comfortable on the mound making really good pitches to a nice lineup and a bunch of guys who are going to the postseason," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "There's no fear. The thing about him is he's not cautious, he gets right after you, he attacks the zone. That's really been one of the things we've been talking to a lot of the young guys getting up to the big leagues, he's a guy who pitched in the playoffs and World Series, so I'm sure he has a little more experience in high-leverage situations. Nevertheless, he doesn't have a lot of Major League starting experience and he's handled it well."
It was the Reds' first quality start since Sept. 21, when John Lamb (who was also acquired from the Royals in the Johnny Cueto deal alongside Finnegan and minor-leaguer Cody Reed) threw six scoreless innings in the Reds' 2-1 loss to the Cardinals in the second game of the losing streak. A quality start is defined as at least six innings pitched and three or fewer earned runs. It was just the team's third quality start since Sept. 12, when Anthony DeSclafani beat the Cardinals.
The Reds have 68 quality starts on the season from their starters, 20 during the streak of 63 consecutive games started by rookies. Of those 20, nine were in the first 14 starts after Mike Leake beat the Cardinals on July 28.
The Reds took an early lead in the first when Eugenio Suarez singled with one out and went to third when Burnett threw over to first and the ball ended up in right field. He then scored on Votto's groundout to second.
Princeton High School grad and former UC Bearcat Josh Harrison led off the Pirates' first with a triple and then scored on Gregory Polanco's groundout, making it 2-1.
After a walk to Aramis Ramirez and an infield single to Starling Marte, Finnegan struck out Michael Morse to end the first.
Tucker Barnhart led off the second with a single, but then Burnett, who had earlier this year announced he was retiring after the season, retired the next 13 batters before walking Phillips in the sixth.
Finnegan was just as good, retiring every batter not named Harrison after the first. Harrison singled back to Finnegan in the third and walked in the fifth.
"I just trusted my stuff," Finnegan said. "Harrison is a good hitter. I told him tonight he is a great hitter. He got me with a triple to lead off the game. It's what happens sometimes when you face good hitters. I was lucky enough to make good pitches and get out of the inning."
Adam Duvall hit a solo homer in the seventh to give the Reds a 3-1 lead. After Jason Bourgeois walked in the seventh to put two on with two outs, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle came out to take out Burnett, who left to a standing ovation.
Among those applauding Burnett included several players on the Reds' bench, including manager Bryan Price, Skip Schumaker and Todd Frazier, among others.
Burnett then came out for a curtain call.
"The highlight of my day was competing against – what's probably his last start – A.J. Burnett," Votto said. "If not, he's a big (expletive) liar. You're supposed to retire when you say you're retiring. But I like A.J. and he and I get along great. I said what I said right now because he and I get along well. I have a good time facing him."
Votto even tipped his helmet to Burnett during his first plate appearance.
"He deserves it," Votto said. "What a fantastic career. It better be the end of it, I'm tired of facing him and I mean that."
Votto was 0-for-3 against Burnett (finishing his career 10-for-34) and grounded out against reliever Bobby LaFromboise in the seventh to break his streak of reaching base. The 48-game streak is tied for the modern team record, set by Pete Rose in 1978.
"You know, I just don't look at it that way. I think about my at-bats," Votto said when asked about sharing a record with Rose. "I think about my work beforehand and being competitive in the game. I think about what I have to do to perform on a consistent basis. It just so happened that here I am, 48-straight games. I meant what I said when I said 'I don't care.' We were playing really poorly for a while there. That's frustrating. Chasing something like this is not something that matters to me. Today I missed a pitch and hit a ball hard in the middle of the field, that's a good day. It just so happens that nothing came out of it."
Burke Badenhop threw a scoreless seventh inning for the Reds, striking out two, before Michael Lorenzen came in for the eighth. After retiring the first two batters he faced, Polanco singled with two outs, and Price brought in Aroldis Chapman to face McCutchen, who represented the tying run.
Chapman struck out McCutchen on five pitches — three sliders and then two fastballs, the final one 100 mph that McCutchen swung through.
Chapman hit Marte with one out in the ninth, but then struck out Michael Morse and got Francisco Cervelli to line out to center for his 33rd save of the season - allowing the Reds to shake hands on the field for the first time in too long.
"We've gone two weeks without this feeling. It's been a not very enjoyable two weeks, I can tell you that," said Price, who general manager Walt Jocketty said on Saturday would return to manage the team in 2016. "It feels good. I'll tell you this — it doesn't matter how many you win, when you win it feels great, or how many you lose, when you win it feels great. At the end of the day, that's what we're all chasing at this level, it's not about feeling good at the end of a loss, it's about feeling good at the end of a win."