Eugenio Suarez homers three times as Reds beat Pirates, who lose Anthony Alford to injury - TribLIVE

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In what has been the story of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, another player who made a positive impact was lost to injury when outfielder Anthony Alford fractured his right elbow.

Alford was injured when he crashed into the center-field wall chasing Tucker Barnhart’s leadoff home run in the third ining of a 6-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night at PNC Park.

Barnhart’s homer was one of four by the Reds, and third baseman Eugenio Suarez accounted for the other three. Suarez was 3 for 4 with five RBIs in his first career three-homer game, hitting Nos. 10, 11 and 12 for the season. He also homered in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader.

It was the first against the Pirates since St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong did so in a 14-8 win July 24, 2019, at PNC Park. It’s the second year in a row a Reds player homered three times against the Pirates, as Derek Dietrich hit three in an 11-6 win on May 28, 2019 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

For the Pirates (12-26), the bigger loss was Alford. The Pirates were excited to add Alford after claiming him off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, where he had played for general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton. A former college football player at Southern Miss and Ole Miss, Alford added a blend of power and speed to the lineup, batting .250 (3 for 12) with a triple, home run and four RBIs in his first four games.

“Honestly, it makes me a little sick to my stomach, just because knowing the opportunity that he has right now,” Shelton said “Then even more so, knowing the person and the kid. Just to see the pain and anguish in his eyes, it’s difficult. It’s something that we have to move through. But I definitely feel for him.”

Alford’s injury only adds to their run of bad luck this season.

The Pirates already were without starting pitchers Jameson Taillon (Tommy John surgery) and Chris Archer (neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome) before the season started, and Joe Musgrove and Mitch Keller soon joined them on the injured list. Backup catcher Luke Maile was lost to a fractured index finger in his right (throwing) hand late in training camp, and relievers Nick Burdi, Michael Feliz and Clay Holmes were lost to season-ending arm injuries. The Pirates’ leading hitter, corner infielder Phillip Evans, required season-ending surgery after he fractured his jaw in a collision with right fielder Gregory Polanco against the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 8.

“It’s one of those things, man,” said Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams (1-6), who threw a season-high 111 pitches (68 for strikes) in six innings, allowing five runs on five hits (three homers) with three walks and six strikeouts. “Injuries happen. You just hope they don’t happen as often as they are this season.”

When Barnhart drove a Williams 1-1 pitch to straightaway center for a leadoff homer, Alford crashed into the wall so hard his spikes tore the padding. Alford was shaken up and clutching his right elbow when he walked off the field, and Cole Tucker replaced him in center.

It only got worse for the Pirates from there, as Joey Votto doubled to right and advanced to third on a groundout by Nick Castellanos. Jesse Winker drew a walk to put runners on first and third for Suarez, who drilled a 1-1 sinker 400 feet to left for a three-run homer and 4-0 lead.

The Pirates rallied in the third when Erik Gonzalez hit a leadoff single and reached third on Adam Frazier’s single. Colin Moran drew a walk to load the bases with one out for Gregory Polanco, who hit a line drive to right-center that Reds center fielder Brian Goodwin chased down. The sacrifice fly scored Gonzalez to make it 4-1, and Frazier advanced to third. Polanco tipped his helmet to Goodwin as he ran toward second, knowing he was robbed of an extra-base hit and at least one more RBI.

The Reds robbed the Pirates again when Josh Bell’s line drive ricocheted off the glove of second baseman Mike Moustakas and into the hand of Suarez, who threw out Bell at first to prevent Frazier from scoring.

“Goodwin made an unbelievable play,” Shelton said. “Off the bat, I thought for sure that ball was in the gap and we were going to get three runs. After seeing the replay, unbelievable catch. Full extension, almost up over his head. Then Bell hits a bullet that Moustakas knocks down. It’s just one of those things. Sometimes you get balls you don’t hit very hard that fall. We hit some balls right on the nose that we didn’t get anything for.”

Jacob Stallings hammered an Anthony DeSclafani 2-0 sinker 390 feet to left for his second homer of the season, cutting the Reds’ lead to 4-2. Gonzalez followed with a two-out infield single, but the Pirates left a runner on base for the fourth consecutive inning.

The Pirates loaded the bases with two outs against reliever Michael Lorenzen in the sixth but the Reds made a pitching change and Amir Garrett struck out Adam Frazier for the final out.

Suarez hit his third homer, a solo shot off lefty Derek Holland in the eighth, to give the Reds a 6-2 cushion.

“You tip your hat to him,” Williams said. “Unfortunately, the first one he hit was a three-run homer. It’s the crooked numbers you can’t really defend. You’re swimming uphill after that.”

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email at kgorman@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Pirates/MLB | Sports