Freeze Frame: Newman gets payback on his first swing

CINCINNATI -- It took just one swing for Kevin Newman to leave his mark against his former club.

Tied at one in the bottom of the first, Newman got his first at-bat against the Pirates, the only team he had ever been a part of through his eight-year professional career. That was up until this winter, when he was traded to the Reds minutes after the tender deadline for reliever Dauri Moreta. Newman was a good fielder and his lefties well, but with Oneil Cruz firmly at shortstop and young options at second base, the Pirates opted for youth over the 29-year-old infielder.

So what better way to get a little revenge on his former club than a long ball? There was no doubt about it either, as Rich Hill's four-seamer wound up hitting the facade of the upper deck.

"We missed," Hill said about the pitch. "It was a little bit of a pulled fastball, and he did a good job putting the bat on the ball."

That wound up being the game-winning hit in the Reds' 6-2 win over the Pirates at Great American Ball Park Saturday.

But it's also worth pointing out in the regular season opener, Moreta stranded an inherited runner on third base in the fifth inning and then picked up a couple more strikeouts to help the Pirates squeak out a win. Both players were key in their teams securing their first win of the season.

So two games in, it may be best to call that trade a draw.