CINCINNATI -- The Pirates homered four times in the first four innings to blitz Reds starter Matt Harvey and complete a three-game sweep of Cincinnati with a 9-2 win at Great American Ball Park on Sunday afternoon for the team's ninth consecutive victory.
The offensive pop during the winning streak has come from top to bottom during this recent tear that's bridged from the first half of the season to the second. Leadoff hitter Corey Dickerson slapped an elevated 0-2 fastball down the left-field line off Harvey in the first inning and later scored on a Gregory Polanco two-run homer.