Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds Box Score on Aug 27, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Aug 27, 2017

CINCINNATI -- Starling Marte went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and John Jaso's two-run double in the fourth inning gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a lead they would not relinquish in a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

Pittsburgh (63-68) took two of three in the series after losing eight of its first 10 games against the Reds to begin the season.

A.J. Schugel (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win and Felipe Rivero earned his 16th save, but it wasn't easy.

Sean Rodriguez's throwing error on what would have been the final out helped Cincinnati load the bases. But Adam Duvall grounded into a force play to end it.

Right-hander Tyler Mahle, a signature piece of Cincinnati's rebuilding effort, made his major league debut on Sunday and allowed three earned runs on four hits through five innings. He also collected his first career hit with a fourth-inning single.

Mahle (0-1) advanced quickly through the Reds' system with little drop-off from one level to the next. He posted a 2.06 ERA at Double-A and a 2.73 ERA at Triple-A. Mahle threw a no-hitter for Class-A Daytona last season and a perfect game for Double-A Pensacola in April. He entered the 2017 season as the 12th-best prospect in the Reds organization according to Baseball America.

Mahle retired the Pirates in order in the first with one strikeout. He retired the first five batters he faced and struck out three through the first two frames on 32 pitches.

The Reds (55-76) handed Mahle an early lead when Scooter Gennett doubled and scored on Scott Schebler's sacrifice fly to center, putting them ahead 1-0 in the second.

The Pirates had runners on first and third with one out in the third, but Mahle got Adam Frazier to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.

Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon pitched four-plus innings for Pittsburgh, allowing two earned runs and five hits.

Pittsburgh broke through against Mahle in the fourth when Jaso's two-run double down the right-field line put them ahead 2-1.

Andrew McCutchen's RBI single in the fifth made the score 3-1.

Rodriguez who made his third start of the season at shortstop, made the play of the day in the bottom half when he dove to catch Gennett's pop fly in shallow left field for the first out in the bottom of the eighth.

Marte provided some cushion with a two-run single off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth to make it a three-run lead. Iglesias hadn't allowed a run in his past five appearances.

NOTES: Pirates 2B Adam Frazier left the game in the third inning with right hamstring discomfort. ... RHP Tyler Mahle and C Chad Wallach became the second set of battery mates in Cincinnati Reds franchise history (since 1869) to debut in the same game. On April 6, RHP Rookie Davis and C Stuart debuted together for Cincinnati. ... Mahle was recalled from Triple-A Louisville, RHP Luke Farrell was optioned to Triple-A and RHP Scott Feldman was moved to the 60-day DL. ... Pirates C Francisco Cervelli (left quad irritation) isn't expected to be on the DL past the 10-day minimum.