Bucs still can’t figure out Cueto

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Johnny Cueto vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates is quickly becoming one of baseball’s biggest mismatches.

Cueto dominated the Pirates again over six innings, Paul Janish homered and drove in four runs and the Cincinnati Reds assured themselves of staying atop the NL Central with a 9-4 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Rookie Juan Francisco had three hits and drove in a run in his second start of the season. NL batting leader Joey Votto doubled twice to raise his average to .324 after a sore right wrist kept him out of the lineup for two games.

Andrew McCutchen, back in the lineup 17 hours after being struck in the neck by a 90-mph fastball from the Reds’ Mike Leake, ended Cueto’s 18-inning scoreless streak against Pittsburgh by leading off the first with his ninth homer. The Pirates, as usual, did nothing after that against Cueto (11-2), who has nine of his 31 career victories against them.

“I like pitching in Pittsburgh,” Cueto said. “If I throw a home run, I’m OK. I say, ‘Don’t worry about the home run.’ I threw my fastball, changeup, every pitch today was good.”

Cueto is 3-0 against Pittsburgh this season, throwing a one-hitter during a 9-0 victory on May 11 in PNC Park, and is 5-0 overall in his last seven starts.

Janish, filling in at shortstop for the injured Orlando Cabrera, hit a three-run homer during a six-run seventh inning against three relievers that made it 9-1. Janish had three hits, including a two-out, run-scoring single in the second off Jeff Karstens (2-7) after the Pirates chose not to intentionally walk him to get to Cueto.

McCutchen caught his left knee in a patch of loose sod while trying to make a sliding catch of Laynce Nix’s RBI triple in the seventh but wasn’t hurt — good news after escaping a potentially serious injury.