The Great American Ball Park scoreboard folks often remind opposing pitchers that “walks will haunt.”
They also could point out that “errors are scary.”
The Cincinnati Reds produced plenty of both in a 10-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of Saturday’s day-night doubleheader; and the second game of their four-game series.
Reds pitchers matched a season high walking 10 batters — six of whom scored – while committing three errors, allowing three unearned runs, on the way to their third consecutive loss after a five-game winning streak. The Reds have given up 26 runs in those losses.
“That’s deflating,” Manager Bryan Price said. “Obviously, giving up early runs makes it tough. You have to show resiliency.”
Adam Duvall drove in three runs with his 31st homer of the season and first since September 6. Jose Peralta, making his sixth consecutive start at shortstop while Zack Cozart is out with soreness in his surgically repaired right knee, finished with three hits and a run-scoring groundout.
Anthony DeSclafani, who was going for his ninth win, lasted only four innings in his first start since September 7. He allowed six hits and runs, four earned, with three walks and four strikeouts.
DeSclafani, needed 36 pitches to get through nine batters in the first inning while allowing four runs on three hits and three walks. Andrew McCutchen drove in two runs with a single, Francisco Cervelli added a run-scoring single and Jung Ho Kang scored on a Brandon Phillips error.
He set the tone by walking Matt Joyce to start the game.
“I felt like crap today,” DeSclafani said. “It was just a bad game. It was my fault. I couldn’t get any momentum going. I put us in hole early. I couldn’t find the strike zone and I hurt myself with walks. When you do that, teams are going to take advantage.”
Catcher Tucker Barnhart reached on a two-out error, which was changed after the game by the official scorer to a hit, but was thrown out easily trying to score from first on DeSclafani’s double to right-center field. That cost the Reds having runners in scoring position with leadoff batter Jose Peraza, who already had one hit in the game, up next.