Reds improve to 3-0 in Matt Harvey’s starts

Scooter Gennett drives in six runs in victory against Pirates

The Cincinnati Reds improved to 3-0 in games started by Matt Harvey, the former New York Mets ace who delivered one of his best performances of the season Tuesday in his first appearance as a Red at Great American Ball Park.

Harvey allowed one earned run on three hits in six innings as the Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2 in the opener of a three-game series. He left the bases loaded in the first and retired the side in order in the third, fifth and sixth innings.

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This was Harvey’s longest outing as a Red. He lasted four innings in his first two starts. He lowered his ERA from 6.17 to 5.49 and picked up his first victory of the season.

“There were times this year when I didn’t think I was going to get another win in the big leagues,” Harvey said, “so it was good to get one on the board.”

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The Pirates loaded the bases with one out against Harvey in the first but didn’t score. Corey Dickerson flied out to center field, and Colin Moran struck out to end the inning.

“I think being the first home game, I was a little amped up in the first and kind of got all out of sorts,” Harvey said. “That could have gone the wrong way obviously.”

Big picture: The Reds improved to 17-32. Their .347 winning percentage, if it stands up, would be the second worst in franchise history. They are on pace to finish 56-106.

Big hit: Scooter Gennett hit a grand slam in the fifth to give the Reds a 6-2 lead. He has five grand slams in two seasons with the Reds. He's tied for seventh for most grand slams in franchise history. He added two more RBIs and is tied for the team lead with Eugenio Suarez with 33 RBIs.

Strong start: Gennett and Eugenio Suarez hit back-to-back RBI doubles to give the Reds a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

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Missed chance: The Pirates loaded the bases with one out in the seventh. Reds reliever David Hernandez got out of the jam with a popout and groundout.

Career milestone: Joey Votto received an intentional walk Tuesday for the 135th time in his career, tying him with Johnny Bench for the Reds record. Bench reached the mark in 8,674 plate appearances. Votto needed 6,346.

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