Juan Nicasio zaps the Reds in 4-1 win

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsJuan Nicasio celebrated Ray Searage's contract extension with a dominant performance, shutting out the Reds over seven innings. Nicasio allowed just three hits and a walk, and fanned eight, while throwing 63 of 97 pitches for strikes. The closest thing to trouble he had was a leadoff double in the second by Jay Bruce, and Nicasio responded by striking out the side.

The Pirates' offense, meanwhile, spent much of the game pounding baseballs into the turf. The team came into the game hitting significantly worse than the rest of MLB against the Reds over the last year and a month, and the pattern continued as Dan Straily induced a long series of groundouts.…