Bucs’ McLouth continues hit parade

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nate McLouth, the surprise major league hits leader, singled in the go-ahead run and had two more hits, and the Pittsburgh Pirates won consecutive games for the first time this season by beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Saturday night.

Ronny Paulino had a two-run single in the second inning against Bronson Arroyo (0-2), who remained winless in four career starts against his former club. Xavier Nady fought off a breaking ball from Arroyo to single into right field and drive in run in the fifth as the Pirates, who began the week by losing their first three home games, followed up a 1-0 victory on Friday night.

Ian Snell (2-0), the only Pirates starting pitcher to win in their 11 games this season, pitched 61‚Ñ3 innings for the victory despite allowing nine hits and walking two.

Snell left after Jeff Keppinger singled in the seventh for his third hit. But after Damaso Marte loaded the bases by allowing singles to Ken Griffey Jr. and Brandon Phillips, he struck out Adam Dunn, and Tyler Yates got Edwin Encarnacion on a flyball.

John Grabow pitched a scoreless eighth inning despite allowing two hits and Matt Capps finished up in the ninth for his third save.

The Reds had 14 hits to Pittsburgh’s eight, but stranded 11 runners a night after leaving 12 on base during a 1-0 loss.

They also committed three infield errors, two by third baseman Encarnacion. First baseman Joey Votto’s two-base error for misplaying Doug Mientkiewicz’s hard-hit grounder in the second followed Nady’s leadoff single and led to Paulino’s single.

McLouth, a former part-time outfielder who had to beat out Nyjer Morgan during spring training to start in center, ran his hitting streak to 11 games when he singled ahead of Nady’s RBI single.

After Votto’s RBI single in the sixth tied it at 3, the Pirates regained the lead when Brian Bixler singled for his first major league hit, moved up on Snell’s sacrifice and scored on McLouth’s line single to center.

Less than two weeks into the season, McLouth has 21 hits — and at least one hit in all 11 games — despite not getting more than 329 at-bats in any of his first three seasons in the majors. He has six RBIs in his last six games as a leadoff hitter.

McLouth is hitting .396 and has 11 RBIs, a mark he didn’t reach last season until July 29. He had only two RBIs last season until June 17.

Snell followed up a 9-2 win over Florida on April 6 despite striking out only two, down from 10 in his last start.

Votto also had three hits for Cincinnati. ... Arroyo gave up six hits in five innings while falling to 0-3 against Pittsburgh, but didn’t allow a homer after yielding four in 52‚Ñ3 innings Monday in a 5-3 loss to Philadelphia. Arroyo pitched for the Pirates from 2000-02. ... The Reds will lose the three-game series after going 2-0-1 in their first three series.