CINCINNATI -- Nick Kingham collapsed in the fifth inning, but the Pirates charged back late to defeat the Reds, 8-5, in Game 1 of Monday's Memorial Day doubleheader at Great American Ball Park.
Kingham pitched four scoreless innings and was working on a fifth when things turned sour. And, as is the case with Kingham, when they decided to go south, they went straight to Antarctica. We'll get to that in just a moment.
Scoring opened when the Pirates got on the board in the fourth inning courtesy of an Elias Diaz sacrifice fly to right field that brought home Melky Cabrera. That gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead, which they looked primed to hold — until Kingham happened.
Jose Iglesias kicked off the festivities for the Reds in the fifth with a single, but Kingham bounced back by striking out Tucker Barnhart. Reds pitcher Luis Castillo put down a sacrifice bunt to move Iglesias to second.
Two outs, one on: Let the fun begin.
Nick Senzel doubled to bring home Iglesias. Then Joey Votto doubled to bring home Senzel. Then Eugenio Suarez doubled to bring home Votto. If the action wasn't occurring in real life right in front of my face, I would've sworn my DVR was acting up and spitting out replays.
Richard Rodriguez, who was called up to the Pirates' 26-man roster earlier Monday, took over to lock down the final out, which he did without issue.
Down 3-1, the Pirates needed a spark, and that's exactly what they got in the sixth. Cabrera scored on a fielder's choice, then Gregory Polanco rang up a beauty of a pinch-hitting single to drive home Diaz, locking the score at three.
Josh Bell added his 17th home run of the year with a solo shot in the seventh to give the Pirates the lead, 4-3, before the Reds came right back and tied it again with a sacrifice fly from Suarez.
The Pirates then put on a show in the eighth.
Cole Tucker hit a one-out double, then Adam Frazier was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Bryan Reynolds, who blasted a triple into left-center, scoring two. Not wanting to be left out, Starling Marte joined the party, launching a two-run shot into the center-field stands to run the score to 8-4.
Kyle Crick made things interesting in the eighth, working for two outs but eventually loading the bases with a walk. That triggered an early appearance from Felipe Vazquez, who promptly sat down Senzel swinging for the third and final out.
The Pirates' offense couldn't find any more magic in the top of the ninth, but the deed was done as Felipe Vazquez retook the mound. He allowed one run on a sacrifice fly but ultimately did his job, closing things out and sealing the win.
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