About half an hour after their Thursday night game gave way to Friday morning, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips ripped a solo home run to left field off Pirates reliever Rob Scahill, leading Cincinnati to a 5-4 win over Pittsburgh at PNC Park.
Scahill entered the game in the top of the 13th inning, the sixth Pirates reliever to take the mound. Phillips, who’d already commanded a spot on the highlight reel with a behind-the-back flip throw to second base, led off by launching a 2-1 fastball into the left-field seats, his fourth homer of the year.
Reds reliever Pedro Villarreal pitched the final two innings to record his first career win. Villarreal allowed a leadoff double to Andrew McCutchen in the 12th, but left him stranded.
Pirates right-hander A.J. Burnett gave Pittsburgh the lead in a three-run second inning, lacing a two-run single to center off Cincinnati starter Anthony DeSclafani. Burnett left the game with a two-run lead after allowing two runs over six solid innings.
Burnett’s six innings set up the Pirates’ relief trio of Arquimedes Caminero, Tony Watson and Mark Melancon. But Joey Votto and Todd Frazier quickly thwarted those plans in the seventh, when Votto singled and reached third on an error and Frazier smashed a game-tying, two-run shot to left.
The Pirates had a chance to walk off in the ninth, putting runners on the corners with two outs. But McCutchen flied out to right against reliever Ryan Mattheus, sending the game into extra innings.
The Reds escaped a potential mess in the bottom of the 12th, when McCutchen led off with a double. After Neil Walker was walked intentionally, Jung Ho Kang lined into a costly double play, as Votto caught Walker too far off first base. The Pirates finished the night 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position, leaving 12 men on base. Cincinnati was 3-for-16 RISP and stranded 14.
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