Reds defeat Pirates
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sean Casey’s two-run homer backed Aaron Harang’s effective pitching, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 Monday night despite losing Austin Kearns indefinitely with a broken forearm. Kearns, the Reds’ right fielder, was hit on the left arm and wrist by Ryan Vogelsong’s pitch two batters after Casey’s homer put Cincinnati up 2-0 in the first. Kearns played defense in the bottom of the first, but was lifted an inning later.
Kearns will return to Cincinnati on Tuesday to be examined by team doctors following his second significant injury in two seasons and is out indefinitely. He injured his right shoulder last May and missed about half the 2003 season.
Harang (2-0) gave up two runs in six innings, including Craig Wilson’s solo homer in the sixth, but worked out of several jams to beat Pittsburgh for the second time in two starts. He gave up seven hits, struck out five and walked one.
Danny Graves pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 12 opportunities, and his third in the four-game series. John Riedling and Todd Jones preceded Graves with a scoreless inning each.
Ryan Freel, Kearns’ replacement, followed Casey’s walk with an RBI triple in the third. Freel had started every Reds game this season until being hit in the head by Jason Boyd’s pitch Saturday night, forcing him to sit out Sunday, but he returned to a utility role Monday when third baseman Brandon Larson was activated from the disabled list.
The Pirates, 2-5 against the Reds, loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Harang got Rob Mackowiak to fly out. Pittsburgh had two on with one out an inning later, but pinch-hitter Bobby Hill struck out and Tike Redman grounded into a force play.
Vogelsong (1-3) walked six in four innings while losing his third in a row, giving up three runs and four hits. He has allowed 23 hits and 18 runs in 12 innings during his losing streak, which includes two losses to the Cubs in which he believes he might have tipped his pitches.
After Vogelsong left, Adam Dunn hit a two-run double in the seventh against reliever John Grabow.
Pittsburgh scored in the fifth on Jack Wilson’s triple and Jason Kendall’s RBI groundout. Jack Wilson matched a career high with four hits.
NOTES: The Reds took three of four in the series and are 4-0-2 in their first six series. … Kearns is in a 2-for-23 slump that dropped his average to .137.