By COLIN BEAZLEY

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

PITTSBURGH — Bailey Falter might be the only Pirate who hopes May will never end.

Falter continued his stellar month with seven stellar scoreless innings, leading the Pirates to a 1-0 shutout win against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday at PNC Park. Falter got the win, improving to 3-3, while Reds starter Nick Martinez took the loss and dropped to 2-5. David Bednar pitched a scoreless ninth, earning his fourth save of the year.

Falter is now 2-0 in May with a 0.38 ERA, allowing just one run in 23 2/3 innings across four starts. The Pirates are 4-17 in May, with three of those wins coming in games started by Falter. This win ended a four-game losing streak.

His start was enough to overcome another dreadful offensive showing. The Pirates managed one run and six hits, the 25th consecutive game they have scored fewer than five runs. Right fielder Bryan Reynolds had the lone RBI. They can tie the major league record (since 1901) for consecutive games with four or fewer runs on Wednesday.

The Pirates scored their run off Reds starter Nick Martinez in the sixth. Center fielder Oneil Cruz started the rally with a walk before designated hitter Andrew McCutchen was hit in the hand. McCutchen was in pain and checked out by a trainer, but stayed in the game. Reynolds singled home Cruz with a grounder into right field.

The threat was ended the next batter, when catcher Joey Bart slipped out of the box and grounded into a double play.

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It was the third 6-4-3 double play of the day, increasing the Pirates’ majors-high total to 47.

The Pirates loaded the bases in both the seventh and eighth innings, but failed to score in both. Cruz ended the seventh with a groundout to second, while Ke’Bryan Hayes ended the eighth with a groundout to third.

It was over when … Bednar allowed a leadoff single to TJ Friedl on a 10-pitch at-bat in the ninth, but Santiago Espinal grounded into a double play to erase him. Left fielder Alexander Canario made a sliding catch on an Elly De La Cruz fly-ball to end it.

At the plate Frazier’s double was the lone extra base hit. First baseman Spencer Horwitz went 2 for 3 with two singles, his first multi-hit game as a Pirate. He was walked intentionally with a runner on second in the eighth.

On the mound Falter completed seven innings on 79 pitches, but was pulled after a lengthy offensive inning from the Pirates and because he was 10 pitches from his season-high (89, twice). He allowed four hits and didn’t walk anyone, striking out five.

He gave up a triple to Friedl to lead off the game and a double to Espinal to lead off the fourth, but didn’t allow either runner to advance.

Most valuable player Given the Pirates’ offensive struggles, a shutout was needed for a victory. Falter delivered exactly that, doing everything he could to end a four-game losing streak.

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