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CINCINNATI (AP) — Michael Lorenzen’s longest outing in three years reminded him why he enjoys starting so much.The right-hander singled home a run and got his first victory as a starter since 2015 http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-nolan-ryan-jersey , leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 victory Saturday that ended their seven-game losing streak against the Pittsburgh Pirates.Pittsburgh has dominated the Ohio River rivalry, going 13-5 this season. The seven-game winning streak was the Pirates’ longest against the Reds since 1991.Pittsburgh was blanked for the 17th time, most in the NL and tied with Detroit for most in the majors.The Reds let Lorenzen (4-2) finish the season with three starts after 42 relief appearances, providing a chance for him to join the competition for next year’s rotation. He went 5 2/3 innings — his longest appearance since he was a rookie starter in 2015 — and gave up five hits.Lorenzen used all his pitches, something he doesn’t need in relief. He threw 73 in all.“I was using, really, three variations of a fastball, and that’s why I love starting,” he said. “I have those three variations. Then I started throwing the curveball in the sixth, and they hadn’t seen that yet. I started throwing the changeup, and they hadn’t seen that yet.”David Hernandez escaped a bases-loaded threat in the sixth. Raisel Iglesias got his 30th save in 34 chances.Lorenzen also had a run-scoring single , finishing his season at the plate with a flourish. Lorenzen batted .300 with one double, four homers and 10 RBIs in 30 at-bats as a pitcher or pinch hitter. Eugenio Suarez homered for the second straight game off Jameson Taillon (14-10), pulling out of his slump. His two-run shot on Friday night was his first homer and RBI since Sept. 10.Taillon — the second overall pick in the 2010 draft — made it through a full season for the first time. He missed the 2014 and 2015 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery and a sports hernia. Last year, he had surgery for testicular cancer in May.“None of us can appreciate what he went through,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “There’s different levels of respect http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-yuli-gurriel-jersey , and I’m sure for his teammates it’s at the highest level.”Taillon finished the season with a streak of 22 starts allowing three earned runs or less, one shy of Bob Friend’s single-season club record from 1963.“It’s been a crazy dream,” Taillon said.Pittsburgh’s Jung Ho Kang started at third base — the first time he had been in a major league lineup in two years. He has a single in four at-bats.The 31-year-old infielder hadn’t played in the majors since September 2016 because of visa issues related to DUI arrests in his native South Korea. Earlier this season, he played in the Pirates’ minor league system before a left wrist injury required surgery. The Pirates decided to add him to the roster for the final series.COOL .300Hurdle took Corey Dickerson out of the game after his single in the sixth inning raised his average to .300, which the manager considered a good stopping point for the outfielder.“He would never take himself out of the lineup,” Hurdle said. “He earned it.”LORENZEN’S LUMBERLorenzen went 3 for 12 as a pinch hitter with two homers and five RBIs. When batting as a pitcher, he was 6 for 18 with two homers and five RBIs.INTERIM MARKSThe Reds are 64-79 since April 19, when manager Bryan Price was fired and Jim Riggleman took over on an interim basis. He is one of the candidates for the job moving ahead.TRAINER’S ROOMPirates: Right fielder Adam Frazier left in the fourth inning with a tight right hamstring. … Shortstop Jordy Mercer left in the fifth with a sore right forearm.Reds: Scooter Gennett was out of the lineup with a sore right biceps. Gennett leads the NL in three-hit games and ranks fourth with a .310 batting average. “It’s nothing serious, but with where we are in the season, it would be stupid to go out and make it worse,” Gennett said.UP NEXTPirates: Clay Holmes (1-3) makes his first start since Aug. 10. He has pitched out of the bullpen his last five appearances.Reds: Sal Romano (8-11) has divided time between the bullpen and rotation. He makes his 25th start after 12 straight relief appearances. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Cleveland Indians have turned this division race into a late-summer cruise, with the Minnesota Twins already in future-planning mode.Carlos Carrasco struck out 10 while taking a shutout into the eighth inning, winning his fourth straight start since returning from the disabled list to carry the Indians to a 2-0 victory over the Twins on Wednesday.Brad Hand recorded the last five outs for his second save in as many attempts with the Indians, who stretched their lead over the Twins in the AL Central to 10 games and improved to 32-15 in intra-division games this season.”It’s fun,” Hand said. ”We’ve played some good baseball, so just try to keep things going and ride it out.”After the Indians acquired Hand and fellow reliever Adam Cimber from San Diego during the All-Star break http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-jake-marisnick-jersey , the Twins front office formally surrendered 2018 by trading five regulars in separate trades that fetched 12 players and only one current major leaguer.Carrasco (13-5), who missed three weeks with a bruised elbow before his reinstatement on July 6, has 63 strikeouts in his last eight starts. This was his fourth turn with double-digit strikeouts, and he won his fifth straight decision. Carrasco picked up a victory with one inning of relief on July 15, right before the All-Star break.”That’s part of how we feel we can be a good team,” manager Terry Francona said. ”Every time we send a starter out there, we feel like we’ve got a chance.”The Indians, who won a series against the Twins for the first time in four tries this year, have allowed only 13 runs over their last six games. Their ERA against AL Central teams is 2.70 this season, the best intra-division mark in MLB. The Indians also led the major leagues in July in runs, steals and batting average.The bullpen that has been their biggest concern? Over the past nine games, Indians relievers have a collective 1.08 ERA. Hand, the two-time All-Star and Minnesota native, had 24 saves in 29 opportunities with the Padres.Jorge Polanco, who had two of Minnesota’s five hits, singled in the fourth after Carrasco retired the first 11 batters. Joe Mauer hit his first triple of the year after an eight-pitch Michael Saunders Jersey , two-out at-bat in the sixth, but Carrasco struck out the side.”It’s pretty scary if you’ve got a guy like that,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said.The Twins agreed.”His changeup was on. His slider was on,” left fielder Max Kepler said. ”He was getting sneaky fastballs by people because he was using so much off-speed.”THROWING THROUGHAdalberto Mejia gave the Twins five scoreless innings to start with only one hit allowed, but reliever Matt Magill allowed a run in the sixth when Rajai Davis came home during catcher Mitch Garver’s throw to second base to catch Jose Ramirez stealing. Davis, who was not credited with a stolen base, started the rally with a single.The Twins directed Garver to throw rather than hold the ball.”I wasn’t going to give him a free base,” manager Paul Molitor said.MARTIN ON BOARDLeonys Martin, who was acquired to bolster the injury-depleted outfield in an intra-division trade with the Detroit Tigers to beat the deadline on Tuesday, made his Cleveland debut as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and singled in the ninth. Greg Allen, who had three runs and three hits on Tuesday, was sent back to Triple-A Columbus after two games.FORSYTHE FORSAKES SLEEPLogan Forsythe, who came to Minnesota with two minor league players from the Dodgers in the trade for Brian Dozier, made his first appearance for the Twins by sharply grounding into a double play as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. Lindor made a slick scoop and pivot to start the play.After boarding a red-eye flight from Los Angeles, Forsythe was at the ballpark for the matinee with minimal rest.”It’s a new way to kind of mesh in with a new clubhouse and a core group of veterans,” said Forsythe http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , who’ll take most of the games at second base to fill in for Dozier. ”It’s just exciting, man. It’s a new chapter.”TRAINER’S ROOMMiller could rejoin the bullpen on Friday, Francona said, or he might be asked to stay on his rehab assignment and pitch more than one inning. Miller has been out for more than two months with right knee trouble.UP NEXTIndians: There’s no game scheduled on Thursday, before the team returns home to host Los Angeles in a three-game series. RHP Mike Clevinger (7-7, 3.43 ERA) starts for the Indians, and RHP Jaime Barria (6-7, 3.74 ERA) pitches for the Angels.Twins: Following a day off, RHP Jake Odorizzi (4-7, 4.58 ERA) takes the mound on Friday night to start a three-game series against Kansas City. RHP Heath Fillmyer (0-1, 3.29 ERA) pitches for the Royals.—