|
 After Lorenzen surrendered a fourth home run in the first seven
innings of his career -- a solo shot by Pittsburgh Pirates left
fielder Starling Marte in the second inning Tuesday -- the rookie
walked to the back of the mound.
"I kind of collected myself and thought about what a young pitcher
who had given up four home runs in his first two starts should do,"
Lorenzen said. "I thought the best answer was pound the strike zone,
so that's what I tried to do."
Lorenzen pitched one-run ball over six innings for his first major
league win, and left fielder Marlon Byrd drove in four runs as the
Reds downed the Pirates 7-1.
Lorenzen (1-1) gave all three Pittsburgh hits while striking out
four and walking three. He lost his debut April 29 to the Milwaukee
Brewers when he surrendered three homers in five innings.
"As coach and managers, we all kind of live vicariously through our
players," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "To have a moment like
that, to watch a kid go out there and compete against a very good
team in a series where we wanted to get off on the right foot, it
was pretty special."
A standout as both a pitcher and center fielder at Cal State
Fullerton, Lorenzen was a supplemental first-round draft pick two
years ago. His background led to the question of whether he dreamed
more about getting his first win or his first home run.
"When I was a kid, I watched Roger Clemens pitch in the World Series
on TV, then I had a dream that night that I pitched in the World
Series," Lorenzen said. "So, I'd have to say it was more my dream to
pitch in the big leagues."
Byrd and third baseman Todd Frazier both homered and had two hits
apiece. Center fielder Billy Hamilton, first baseman Joey Votto and
second baseman Brandon Phillips also added two hits each to the
Reds' 12-hit attack.
Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in an offseason trade, Byrd
entered the game hitting .181.
"April was a really tough month, the toughest time since I turned my
career back around two years ago," Byrd said. "I've been putting in
a lot of time in with (hitting coach) Don Long, and things are
slowly starting to come around. I'm starting to feel more
comfortable at the plate."
Frazier hit a solo shot in a two-run second inning, his seventh home
run in the past 12 games and ninth of the season. Byrd connected for
a two-run blast, his fourth, in the third inning to increase the
Reds' lead to 4-1, and his two-run double capped a three-run ninth.
The Reds (13-13) beat the Pirates (12-14) for the sixth consecutive
time, dating to last season. Pittsburgh's overall losing streak
reached four games, and the Pirates fell for the sixth time in seven
games while scoring just 15 runs in that span.
[to top of second column] |
The Pirates' lone run came on Marte's seventh homer.
"We missed some pitches we probably had to hit tonight," Pirates
manager Clint Hurdle said. "We just got to do what men do, got to
roll your sleeves up and keep working."
Jeff Locke (2-2) lost his second straight start, allowing four runs
and seven hits in seven innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
Cincinnati infielder Kristopher Negron snapped an 0-for-23 skid with
a leadoff single in the ninth. Negron scored on Hamilton's infield
single, and Bryd followed with his two-run double.
Negron was filling in at shortstop for Zack Cozart, who missed his
first game of the season because of a bruised right index finger.
"It was exciting to see (Byrd) swing the bat like that," Price said.
"The home run was exciting, and the double in the ninth inning was
especially exciting because it's a lot easier to manage a game with
a six-run lead than a one-run lead or being down a run."
NOTES: Pirates 3B Josh Harrison, who is in a 1-for-23 slump, got a
day off. He spent extra time with hitting coach Jeff Branson before
the game in an attempt to regain the timing of his swing. ...
Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen's five-game hitting streak ended as he
went 0-for-4. ... Cincinnati RHP Mike Leake (1-1, 3.03 ERA) will
face Pittsburgh RHP Gerrit Cole (4-0, 1.76) on Wednesday night in
the middle game of the three-game series. Leake hasn't lost to the
Pirates in his last 14 starts, dating to May 5, 2012, and is 4-0
with a 2.95 ERA against them in his last nine starts. Cole was the
National League Pitcher of the Month for April and has allowed one
earned run or none in each of his past four starts.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
