Bucs end April on a tear, win 6th straight

PITTSBURGH — Behind Francisco Liriano’s longest start of the season, the Pirates extended their winning streak to six games and finished April with a 5-1 victory over the Reds on Saturday night at PNC Park.

Liriano limited the Reds to one run over 6 2/3 innings, striking out six without a walk in his best start since Opening Day. The Bucs backed him by tagging Cincinnati right-hander Alfredo Simon for three runs in four innings, enough support with the way Liriano was pitching. Sean Rodriguez padded the Pirates’ lead with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, his fourth homer of the season.

The Pirates ended the month with a 15-9 record, tying a club record for wins in April. For all their Spring Training concerns about another slow start at the plate, the Bucs rank third in the Majors with 128 runs and still lead the league in average and on-base percentage. The Reds have lost six straight and eight of their last nine.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDAmbushed: John Jaso is known as a patient hitter, but he wasted no time in his first at-bat against Simon. Jaso jumped on the first pitch he saw, a 94-mph fastball, and launched it into the seats in right-center for a leadoff home run. The 394-foot shot was Jaso’s first home run as a Pirate and his …

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