As Wednesday afternoon evolved, there was no doubt that the Reds-Pirates series rubber game at Great American Ball Park belonged to Johnny Cueto. That’s because the Reds ace simply took control of it and made it his own.

The Reds have scored 30 runs over their last four games after having a league-low 28 scored over the first 10 games.

Combining Billy Hamilton’s speed with Pirates starter Francisco Liriano’s wildness enabled the Reds to score an important first-inning run. Liriano walked Hamilton, who then got a fantastic jump to steal second base. A wild pitch to Joey Votto moved Hamilton to third base. After Votto walked, a second wild pitch to Brandon Phillips let Hamilton score without a play at the plate.

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