Right-hander Mike Leake produced both on the mound and with his bat for the Cincinnati Reds against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After losing the first game of the series – a game that ended today after it was suspended yesterday – the Reds came out firing in the second game today at Great American Ball Park. The star if the game was no other than starter Mike Leake who was stellar both pitching but also batting.
Leake connected a key two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth that ended up being the difference as Cincinnati topped Pittsburgh 7-5. Leake’s homer came when the Reds were up by one and his homer capped a stellar performance where he was also dominant on the mound. Leake pitched 6.2 innings and while he did allow three runs, he also struck out eight batters and only walked one.
Todd Frazier also had a two-run shot in the sixth. Joey Votto had an RBI single in the third and Devin Mesoraco had a two-run RBI in the seventh that extended Cincinnati’s lead near the end of the game.
The Pirates did what they could but they were unable to solve Leake. The bullpen completed a solid job in the latter innings and Jonathan Broxton closed things out in the ninth to get his first save of the year. The Reds completed a good performance from start to finish and this could be the start of their turnaround after a poor start to the season.