Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton cruised through the early innings of his start against the Reds Wednesday, but hit a wall in a 5-2 loss, his third of the season.
Morton had a 2-1 win after three innings of work, and entered the fifth having allowed just one run. Unfortunately, things came apart in the fifth, as the Reds scored three times, which was good enough to drop Morton to 0-3 on the season.
Morton was ultimately charged with four runs -- three earned -- in six innings of work, allowing four hits and five walks. He struck out four batters, while throwing 59 of 108 pitches for strikes.
Morton has pitched better than his 0-3 record would indicate, but He still has a 4.35 ERA through five starts. He will look to get his first win in his next start, Tuesday in Baltimore.