Locke helps Pirates beat Reds

Associated Press

pittsburgh

Jeff Locke won for only the second time in three major league seasons, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Reds 3-1 Saturday night as Cincinnati starter Johnny Cueto left in the fifth inning with a strained right triceps.

After striking out Pedro Alvarez starting the fifth, Cueto threw a first-pitch strike to Travis Snider then began shaking his right arm. A Reds trainer visited Cueto on the mound, briefly massaged the pitcher’s upper arm, and both then walked to the dugout.

Cueto helped Cincinnati win the NL Central last season, then left the division series opener against San Francisco with an oblique strain that knocked him out for the rest of the series, won by the Giants in five games.

Cueto allowed one run and two hits in 41/3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts. He has given up just seven earned runs in his last seven starts in Pittsburgh.

Alfredo Simon (0-1) relieved Cueto with the score 1-1. Snider reached on an infield single, Clint Barmes singled and Starling Marte singled with two outs to drive in the go-ahead run.

Pinch-hitter Jose Tabata added an RBI double off the right-center field fence in the seventh against J.J. Hoover.

Locke (1-1), making his 14th big league appearance and 12th start, allowed one run, four hits and four walks in five innings with no strikeouts. His first win was last Oct. 1, when he pitched six innings of one-run ball to beat Atlanta.

Mark Melancon pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and has not allowed a run in seven games and seven innings this season. Jason Grilli finished for his fifth save in as many chances.

Cincinnati has lost four in a row, its longest regular-season skid since a five-game streak last Aug. 5-9. The Pirates have won four of five following a 1-5 start.

Zack Cozart had three hits, including a double and his third homer of the season, a solo drive in the third. Andrew McCutchen walked in the fourth and scored on a two-out double by Garrett Jones, who is 7 for 14 in his last four games.

Notes

RHP Phil Irwin is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis and start Sunday for Pittsburgh in place of LHP Wandy Rodriguez in the finale of the three-game series in what would be his major league debut. Rodriguez said he will be unable to start after straining his left hamstring Monday while pitching at Arizona. The Reds will start RHP Mat Latos (0-0, 4.05), who is 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA in seven career starts against Pittsburgh.