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Reds’ Darnell McDonald, left, tags at home plate with the winning run after a wild pitch from Pirates pitcher Jesse Chavez, covering home at right, in the bottom of ninth inning of game 1 of a doubleheader Monday in Cincinnati.
AP photo
CINCINNATI — Brandon Phillips hit one homer and had another overturned after a review Monday night, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 to complete a doubleheader sweep that drew the two smallest crowds in Great American Ball Park’s history.
Phillips had three hits off left-hander Paul Maholm (7-8), including a solo homer. He had another solo shot overturned in the fifth. Replays showed that his drive down the left-field line had actually veered foul, leading to the first reversal at the ballpark.
Fewer than 2,000 fans saw Darnell McDonald score on a wild pitch from Jesse Chavez (0-4) in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win in the opener.
McDonald singled with one out in the ninth off Chavez (0-4), who gave up a pair of hits and then bounced a pitch that skipped through catcher Jason Jaramillo. McDonald scored with a headfirst slide into the plate.
Nick Masset (5-1) got the victory with one inning in relief.
Braves 5, Marlins 2
MIAMI — Omar Infante hit a two-run triple in the seventh and Kenshin Kawakami pitched six effective innings to carry Atlanta past Florida in a matchup between NL wild-card contenders.
Marlins ace Josh Johnson did not allow a hit until the sixth inning when Matt Diaz lined a 2-2 slider to center field with two outs.
David Ross, Adam LaRoche, and Yunel Escobar each drove in a run for the Braves in the opener of a four-game series.
With the win, Atlanta (69-62) moved within three games of wild-card co-leaders San Francisco (72-59) and Colorado (72-59), both of which were idle on Monday. Florida (68-63) has lost four of five to fall four games back.