Mike Moustakas doubled three times in his return from a right heel injury while Tucker Barnhart launched a long home run in a seven-run first inning as the Cincinnati Reds rolled to another easy win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-0, Friday night.
Wade Miley (9-4) won his fifth straight decision, limiting the Pirates to six hits over seven shutout innings, striking out five and walking two. Friday marked the eighth time this season the Reds’ offense exploded for at least eight runs in a Miley start.
Kyle Farmer also remained red-hot. Baseball’s hottest hitter since the All-Star break had two more hits and drove in three as the Reds won for the fourth time in five games. Farmer has hit in 17 of 19 games since the break, batting (32-for-76) .421 over that span.
Jonathan India homered in the sixth, his fifth long ball in seven games for the Reds, who have scored in double figures a major league-leading 15 times in 2021.
The 10 straight home wins over the Pirates is the longest streak since 11 in a row from 1961-62. The Pirates have lost 12 of 17.
Moustakas, who hadn’t played since May 20, became the latest Reds slugger to return to an already potent lineup, one night after Nick Castellanos came back from a wrist injury.
The win was Cincinnati’s seventh in eight meetings between the two clubs and moved them a season-high eight games over .500 at 59-51. Since coming out of the All-Star break 1-5, the Reds have won 10 of 14.
Moustakas, who started at third base for Eugenio Suarez, drilled a two-run double off Pirates starter JT Brubaker (4-11) in the seven-run first. Barnhart turned on a Brubaker fastball and crushed it 406 feet to right for his sixth homer.
Jesse Winker got in on the hitting party against Brubaker and the Pirates in the second when he drove a fastball 400 feet over the wall in left-center for his 22nd homer, matching Joey Votto and Suarez for the team lead.
Brubaker allowed seven hits and nine runs – eight earned – over five innings. The right-hander walked four and struck out five while surrendering two home runs.
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–Field Level Media