The Reds, at 7-2 off to their best nine-game start since they opened 9-0 1990, used two big innings to blow past the Pirates. Five of Pittsburgh starter Ivan Nova's six innings were clean, but Cincinnati quickly tagged him for four runs in the fifth. Eugenio Suarez led the way for the Reds with three hits and a bases-clearing double off reliever Antonio Bastardo in the seventh that put the game out of reach. The Reds outscored the Pirates, 22-5, in the three-game series.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Breaking through: Nova breezed through four innings, but he ran into trouble when the Reds jumped on him in the fifth.