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Votto Gets Shirt, But Reds Beaten By Bucs, 5-1

PITTSBURGH (AP) — This trade was too good for Joey Votto to turn down.

The Cincinnati Reds star first baseman spotted a fan sitting along the first base line Monday at PNC Park wearing a T-shirt that read “Votto for President.” It was from a Nike promotional campaign in 2012 and Votto hadn’t kept any of the shirts.

Votto got the shirt, but wound up with little else, shut down by Trevor Williams and the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-1.

In the middle of the fourth inning, Votto walked over to the fan and asked for the shirt, offering an autographed jersey in return. The man agreed and the suddenly bare-chested fan and Votto exchanged first bumps along with Labor Day gifts.

“I was trying to find (the T-shirt) for a while and I was excited to see if I could trade a jersey for a shirt and he obliged,” Votto said.

“He was willing to take his shirt off in the middle of the stands and thanks to him for being willing to do that,” he said.

That was the highlight of the day for Votto, who went 1-for-4 and grounded into a double play as the Reds lost for the ninth time in 12 games.

Trevor Williams (12-9) continued his stretch of strong starts by pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed five hits while striking out four and walking one.

Williams improved to 6-2 with a 0.66 ERA in his last nine starts, giving up four runs in 54 2/3 innings. It was his ninth outing of at least five innings without allowing a run this season.

“It’s trusting my stuff and being able to put the fastball where I want to put it,” Williams said. “We go into every start knowing the fastball command is going to be there and everything comes off that. It’s fun to throw the ball to all four quadrants of the strike zone.”

Adam Frazier had career high-tying four hits, including a solo home run off Matt Harvey (6-8) in the first and a two-run single in the seventh that stretched the Pirates’ lead to 5-0. Frazier also had a double and three RBIs.

Pittsburgh’s Gregory Polanco and Cincinnati’s Scooter Gennett homered and had two hits each.

Polanco hit a two-run shot in the sixth inning that made it 3-0.

Gennett, the NL batting leader with a .320 average, broke up the Pirates’ shutout bid with a solo drive off Kyle Crick in the eighth. Gennett also doubled in the first inning, but Williams worked out of a second-and-third jam with one out by striking Eugenio Suarez and getting Scott Schebler to fly out.

“He’s kind of like the guy who can get you a stolen base when you need a stolen base,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said of Williams. “He had four strikeouts today, but he can get you a punchout when you need a punchout.”

Harvey surrendered three runs and seven hits in six innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

“It was one of those (starts) where you look back and the numbers obviously don’t go with how the game went but two pitches definitely cost me,” Harvey said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: C Elias Diaz (strained right hamstring) missed his third straight game.

TRAHAN DEBUT

Reds SS Blake Trahan was 1-for-3 in his major league debut, hitting a single off Williams in the seventh inning. He was promoted from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Reds: LHP Cody Reed (0-1, 3.26 ERA) will make his third start and 13th relief appearance of the season tonight after limiting Milwaukee to one run in 4 2/3 innings in his last outing.

Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (5-8, 3.80 ERA) is 1-4 in his last six starts despite a 3.65 ERA.

BREWERS 4, CUBS 3

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich drove in the winning run with the bases loaded in the ninth after beating a throw from third to avoid a double play, and the Milwaukee Brewers opened an important three-game series with the Chicago Cubs with a win.

The .316 hitter hit a 1-2 fastball from Jesse Chavez right at third baseman Kris Bryant, who touched third for the second out of the ninth before firing to first. The speedy Yelich reached safely just before the throw landed in the glove of the outstretched Anthony Rizzo, allowing Keon Broxton to score the game-winner from third.

Cubs reliever Steve Cishek (4-3) loaded the bases in the ninth with a walk, passed ball and two hit batters.

The second-place Brewers pulled within four games of the NL Central-leading Cubs.

Milwaukee tied the score 3-3 after pinch-hitter Mike Moustakas drew a four-pitch walk with two outs in the eighth from Carl Edwards Jr.

Anthony Rizzo hit a two-out, two-run homer off tough left-hander Josh Hader in the eighth.

Jeremy Jeffress (8-1) got the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth.

ROCKIES 9, GIANTS 8

DENVER (AP) — Pinch-hitter Noel Cuevas delivered a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth inning and Colorado rallied after squandering a five-run lead.

On an afternoon when Trevor Story hit two homers off Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and the Rockies seemed in command at 7-2 after five innings, they needed the rookie Cuevas to come through with a clutch hit.

Colorado had a 7-5 lead in eighth when Giants pinch-hitters Alen Hanson and Chris Shaw hit back-to-back homers off reliever Seunghwan Oh (6-3). Hanson tied the game at 7 on a two-run homer and three pitches later Shaw lined an 0-2 cutter from Oh over the fence in right for his first career homer.

The Rockies answered right back, with Ian Desmond starting the inning with a single and pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta later lining a double. Cuevas brought them in with a grounder up the middle through a drawn-in infield off reliever Tony Watson (4-6).

MARLINS 3, PHILLIES 1

MIAMI (AP) — Philadelphia mustered only four hits and no walks against Jose Urena and two relievers in a loss to last-place Miami.

The Phillies, who began the afternoon four games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East, lost their third game in a row. They’re 9-17 since Aug. 6, when the led the division.

Philadelphia has scored five runs in the past four games.

The Phillies aren’t out of the division race because they face Atlanta in seven of their final 11 games. But the loss to the Marlins doesn’t help their chances.

Urena (5-12) gave up one run in seven innings. He struck out seven to increase his season total to 117, a career high. Drew Steckenrider pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his third save.

Vince Velasquez (9-10) allowed three runs in five innings.

Asdrubal Cabrera hit his 22nd homer for the Phillies.

NATIONALS 4

CARDINALS 3, 10 INNINGS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a tying, two-run homer in the ninth inning, then delivered a sacrifice fly in the 10th that lifted Washington past St. Louis.

The Cardinals led 3-1 with one out in the ninth when Harper hit his 31st home run, sending a 96 mph fastball from closer Bud Norris over the center field fence.

Mark Reynolds led off the Washington 10th against Chasen Shreve (1-1) with a double that went in and out of right fielder Tyler O’Neill’s glove. Pinch-runner Michael Taylor moved to third on Adam Eaton’s bunt single and an out later, Harper flied to deep left. Taylor slid in safely, well ahead of Marcell Ozuna’s throw.

Greg Holland (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory against the Cardinals, who designated him for assignment July 27. It was his longest outing since a two-inning appearance Kansas City on May 12, 2015.

PADRES 6, DIAMONDBACKS 2

PHOENIX (AP) — Franmil Reyes homered twice and had four RBIs, Bryan Mitchell pitched five effective innings and the San Diego Padres knocked off the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Reyes hit a three-run homer off Zack Godley (14-8) in the second inning and a solo shot off the right-hander in the fourth. Austin Hedges added a two-run single in the eighth inning for the Padres, who have won five of seven.

Mitchell (1-3) was sharp in his first start off the DL due to a right elbow impingement, holding the Diamondbacks to a run on two hits.

Steven Souza Jr. had a run-scoring single in the first inning and Paul Goldschmidt an RBI double in the eighth for Arizona. The Diamondbacks have lost four of five to drop two games behind Colorado in the NL West.

The Diamondbacks returned to the desert after a difficult trip to Southern California. Arizona entered a four-game series with the Dodgers atop the division and left a game back after Los Angeles won three of four. All three loses came when the Dodgers rallied late, including Matt Kemp’s two walk-off hits off Archie Bradley.

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