CINCINNATI — Graham Ashcraft put together seven strong innings on the mound and got home runs from Jason Vosler and TJ Friedl to give the Cincinnati Reds a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
After surrendering a home run to Brian Reynolds, Ashcraft (1-0) went on to last seven innings, allowing just four hits and one run with a walk and six strikeouts.
Tyler Stephenson also drove in a run and Vosler, Friedl and Jonathan India each recorded two hits for the Reds.
Alex Young and Derek Law got through the eight inning after giving up two leadoff hits to keep it 3-1. Alexis Diaz came on in the ninth to earn his first save.
Vince Velasquez (0-1) made his Pirates debut on Sunday, lasting 4-2/3 innings, giving up five hits and three runs with one walk and three strikeouts.
Vosler belted a 2-1 slider 365 feet into the right-field seats with one out in the second. Stephenson made it 2-0, after driving in India from second base on a base hit that glanced off shortstop Oneil Cruz’s glove and skidded into short left field with one out in the third inning.
Reynolds, who led the Pirates with 27 homers last season, hit his first of the year with a lead off shot in the fourth that travelled 410-feet over the center field wall. Pittsburgh scored just three runs over opening series.
Friedl knocked out Velasquez in the fifth with a two-out homer that sailed 392 feet into the right-field seats for his first hit of the season. He later added a bunt single.
Cincinnati will host the Chicago Cubs in a three-game series starting on Monday. RHP Connor Overton is scheduled to start in the series opener.
Pittsburgh Cincinnati
ab r h bi ab r h bi
O.Cruz ss 4 0 1 0 India 2b 4 1 2 0
Reynolds cf-lf 4 1 1 1 Friedl cf 4 1 2 1
McCutchen rf 3 0 1 0 Fraley lf 3 0 1 0
Santana 1b 4 0 0 0 Stephenson c 3 0 1 1
Delay c 0 0 0 0 Vosler 1b 4 1 2 1
Choi dh 4 0 0 0 Myers dh 4 0 0 0
Hayes 3b 4 0 0 0 Steer 3b 3 0 1 0
Joe lf-1b 4 0 2 0 Benson rf 4 0 0 0
Bae 2b-cf 3 0 0 0 Newman ss 3 0 0 0
Hedges c 2 0 0 0 Castro ph-2b 1 0 1 0 Totals 33 1 6 1 Totals 32 3 9 3
Pittsburgh 000 100 000 — 1
Cincinnati 011 010 00x — 3
DP–Pittsburgh 1, Cincinnati 0. LOB–Pittsburgh 6, Cincinnati 8. 2B–McCutchen (1), Fraley (1), Vosler (1). HR–Reynolds (1), Vosler (1), Friedl (1). SB–Joe (1).
IP H R ER BB SO
Pittsburgh
Velasquez L,0-1 4 2/3 5 3 3 1 3
Zastryzny 1-3 1 0 0 1 1
Crowe 2 2 0 0 1 0
Underwood Jr. 1 1 0 0 0 2
Cincinnati
Ashcraft W,1-0 7 4 1 1 1 6
Young H,1 1-3 2 0 0 0 0
Law H,1 2-3 0 0 0 0 0
Díaz S,1-1 1 0 0 0 0 1
WP–Crowe, Ashcraft. Umpires–Home, Stu Scheuwater; First, Malachi Moore; Second, Mark Wegner; Third, Bruce Dreckman.
T–2:24. A–14,421 (43,891).
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