Pirates fall short to Reds, 4-1, lock wildcard spot

By Bill Brink, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014 | 6:44 p.m.

CINCINNATI — Knowing they needed to beat Johnny Cueto on Sunday afternoon to retain a shot at tying for the National League Central title, the Pirates threw out their best. Cueto ended their chances with his bat as much as his arm.

Cueto played a key role in a three-run eighth inning, and the Pirates lost on Sunday to the Reds, 4-1, at Great American Ballpark. The defeat eliminated them from contention for the NL Central, making the St. Louis Cardinals the division champions regardless of their result Sunday, and locked the Pirates into Wednesday’s wild-card playoff game against the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park. The Pirates finished their season at 88-74.

Cueto and Adam Wainwright would both be Cy Young favorites were they not in the same league as Clayton Kershaw. The Pirates needed to beat one and hope for the other to lose.

To give them the best chance at taking down Cueto, the Pirates stuck with Gerrit Cole rather than hold him back for a possible tiebreaker or the wild-card game. Cole delivered. Troubled by the first two batters he faced, dominant for the final 22, Cole went round for round with Cueto and exited after seven innings with the game tied at 1-1.

Jason Bourgeois hit a ball to the gap in left-center against Tony Watson in the eighth. Andrew McCutchen slid to cut it off, but dropped it as he stood, and Bourgeois had a triple.

Reds manager Bryan Price left Cueto in to bat. With one out, facing a drawn-in infield, Cueto grounded a single up the middle to break the tie. Kristopher Negron added a two-run homer against Justin Wilson to widen the gap.

Cueto’s backswing struck catcher Chris Stewart on the left hand or wrist, forcing him from the game. The Pirates were already without Russell Martin, who is dealing with hamstring tightness. Tony Sanchez, the only other catcher on the roster, replaced Stewart.

Cole allowed one run — to the first batter he faced — in seven innings. He held the Reds to four hits, all singles, and tied his career high with 12 strikeouts. He didn’t walk a batter.

Negron and Brandon Phillips each singled in the bottom of the first, with Phillips’ hit sending Negron to third. Todd Frazier’s groundout scored the Reds’ first run. Then Cole engaged.

Through the next 19 batters Cole faced, taking him through the end of the fifth inning, he allowed one to reach base — Negron on a single. He struck out 11 of them without walking any. His fastball routinely hit 98 mph and he located a tight slider in the lower half of the strike zone.

Neil Walker tied the game in the fourth with his 23rd home run, a solo shot to right field. After going 1 for 23 during a recent six-game stretch, Walker has five hits, including two home runs, in his past four games.