PITTSBURGH — Homer Bailey became the latest Cincinnati Reds starter to pitch a gem against the Pittsburgh Pirates, tossing his first complete game in a 5-0 win that completed a three-game sweep Wednesday afternoon.
Joey Votto and Drew Stubbs homered and Brandon Phillips added two hits for the Reds, who have won five in a row and outscored the Pirates 16-1 in the series. Second-place Cincinnati (19-15) moved a season-high four games over .500.
Bailey’s performance followed Bronson Arroyo’s seven strong innings Monday and Johnny Cueto’s one-hitter Tuesday. The anemic Pittsburgh offense accounted for only one run and 10 hits in the series.
Bailey (1-2) won for the first time this season but improved to 5-0 lifetime against the Pirates, including 3-0 at PNC Park. He threw only 90 pitches — 73 for strikes — a day after Cueto threw 103 in also pitching his first career complete game.
The Reds got consecutive complete-game shutouts for the first time since June 9-10, 1989, when Jose Rijo and Tom Browning did it at Dodger Stadium.
Ranked 28th in the majors in batting average entering the game, Pittsburgh was shut out for the fifth time in 34 games this season. The Pirates have scored only 10 runs while losing five of their last six games, and had only 14 baserunners in the series.
Votto homered for the third time in his last five games — his eighth of the season — to right after Phillips’ double in the first.
The Reds made it 4-0 against Zach Duke (2-4) the following inning when Ryan Hanigan doubled in Stubbs and Orlando Cabrera drove in Hanigan with a single two batters later.
Stubbs’ homer, his third and second since April 9, was a solo shot to center with one out in the fourth.
Duke lost his fourth consecutive decision, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts in five innings.
NOTES: Pirates SS Ronny Cedeno was not in the lineup a day after getting hit by a pitch on the hand. Cedeno, the only baserunner Tuesday via his single and the hit-by-pitch, suffered a bruise on his right wrist. … Pittsburgh swept the Cubs to begin its nine-game homestand but was swept in the final series of a homestand for the second straight time. On April 21-22, Milwaukee also shut the Pirates out in their final two games of a homestand. The Brewers outscored Pittsburgh 36-1 in that series. … The Reds were never any better than six games over .500 at any point last season. … Bailey lowered his career ERA against Pittsburgh to 1.58.
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