On Friday night, the Cincinnati Reds went deep three times, powering their way past the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 6-1 win. One day later, the Pirates took a page out of Cincinnati's playbook, using a pair of home runs from Neil Walker and Alex Presley to sneak past the Reds, 3-2 at PNC Park.
With Pittsburgh leading 2-0 after six innings, Scott Rolen singled to shallow left center field to score Jay Bruce to help the Reds cut the lead in half. But in the bottom of the seventh, Presley, pinch-hitting for starting pitcher James McDonald, launched a home run to deep right center field, helping the Bucs regain their two-run advantage.
Cincinnati would eventually score again in the eighth, but Pittsburgh never trailed and preserved the win for McDonald, just his second this year, after lasting 6.1 innings, giving up just one earned run and striking out seven. In the ninth, closer Joel Hanrahan came in to record the save, doing so on just 16 pitches.
The rubber match finale is slated for Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
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