S-Rod on power streak with regular role

CINCINNATI — Leading off the third inning against Reds lefty Brandon Finnegan, Sean Rodriguez worked a full count and took a hack at a hittable 94-mph sinker. He tipped it back into the catcher’s glove and turned back to the dugout. Walking past manager Clint Hurdle and down the steps, he critiqued his swing.

“As soon as I came in, I said, ‘God, I got too big,'” Rodriguez said after the Pirates’ 7-3 win over the Reds on Saturday night to complete a doubleheader sweep. “I couldn’t have finished saying ‘big’ and [Hurdle] was already saying, ‘Yeah.'”

The next time Rodriguez came to the plate, he reminded himself to keep his swing short. He swung and missed at a slider from reliever Josh Smith, reset and unloaded on a curveball. He watched it for a moment, put his head down and started running. The way he’s been swinging lately, he didn’t have to look for long.

The ball sailed into the upper deck at Great American Ball Park, jumping off his bat at 104.3 mph and landing a projected 428 feet away, according to Statcast™. The blast was Rodriguez’s second of the day, his fourth in five days and his 16th of …

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