Reds Vs. Pirates: Bucs Shut Out Reds 1-0, Strengthen NL Central Lead

The Pirates escaped with a 1-0 win against the Reds on Tuesday night at PNC Park, as James McDonald pitched six strong innings. It was the Pirates' second consecutive shutout.

The Pirates' only run came in the first. Josh Harrison singled and Neil Walker hit a long double that bounced over the wall. That initially appeared to be a bad break, since Harrison certainly would have come around to score on the play, but Andrew McCutchen was able to bring him home with a groundout.

McDonald had seven strikeouts but left a mess in the seventh after suddenly being unable to throw strikes and allowing two walks and an infield hit. Joe Beimel came on to strike out Jay Bruce, however, and Chris Resop got Drew Stubbs to ground out to end the threat.

Resop pitched a scoreless eighth for the Pirates, and Joel Hanrahan picked up the save despite allowing two singles.

The Cardinals lost to the Mets on Tuesday, and the Brewers have an early lead on the Diamondbacks. The Pirates currently lead the Brewers by a game and the Cards by a game and a half.

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.