For six innings, Ivan Nova looked like the pitcher he was in the first half of this year. Unfortunately, for nine innings the Pirates’ hitters continued their season-long focus on their golf games against yet another mediocre Cincinnati pitcher. The result was a 2-1 loss.
Maybe it was the result of skipping a start. Nova zipped through the first six innings against the hard-hitting Reds, allowing just one hit, walking nobody and striking out six. He needed only 63 pitches to do it.
Sadly, the Pirates’ offense just didn’t show up . . . again. Sal Romano came in with a 4.