CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- It may be just two games, but Lloyd McClendon is pushing all the right buttons.
Late substitute Kevin Young delivered a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning and four relievers combined on three scoreless frames as the Pittsburgh Pirates posted a 7-4 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds.
Facing a pivotal season in his managerial career, McClendon has seen his team open the year with two straight victories for the first time since 1998.
After spoiling the Reds' opener at the Great American Ball Park on Monday, the Pirates overcame a one-run deficit in the eighth.
After a pinch-hitting move in the seventh failed, McClendon inserted Young into the game in a double switch. After Salomon Torres (1-0) escaped a jam in the bottom of the seventh, the move paid off the next inning.
Former Pirate Josias Manzanillo started the eighth for Cincinnati and allowed a single to Matt Stairs. Manzanillo got the next two batters, but Young hammered a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall to erase the one-run deficit.
"Young hit a pretty good pitch," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "It was a pitch he's hit before. It was down, but it got a little bit too much of the plate."
"I don't know, I tried to throw him a good pitch," Manzanillo said. "He must have been looking for it. I played with him for three years (in Pittsburgh). Maybe he knows my tendancies or maybe he just got me."
McClendon and Young both pointed to the veteran first baseman's willingness to come off the bench.
"We did some things to build up our team in the offseason," Young said. "It's a credit to the ballclub we have this year that I'm coming off the bench. We feel comfortable with anyone coming to the plate. ... Whatever role I play, I want to do what I can to help the team be successful. I'm at the point now that I want to see this organiztion get over the hump. We haven't been able to do that since 1992."
"Kevin came up big," McClendon said. "Kevin accepting his role is the key. He's not totally happy with it, but he has accepted it at this point of his career. He can flourish in it."
Manzanillo then committed a throwing error, allowing Kenny Lofton to reach, and Jason Kendall made it 7-4 with his second homer in as many games.
"I had an inkling that he would have a good year coming out of spring training," McClendon said of the former All-Star catcher. "It starts with him being healthy. He has also been more patient. He's not afraid to go deeper in the count and it's paying off. Last year, he jumped at a lot of bad pitches."
"I'm seeing the ball and hitting it, hoping it will fall in," Kendall said. "If it doesn't, then I try to do it the next time. There's a long season to go, but it's nice to come out of the gate fast."
After Scott Sauerbeck and Brian Boehringer combined to get through the eighth, Mike Williams tossed a perfect ninth for his first save.
Pittsburgh actually took a quick 3-0 lead, scoring three times after two were out in the first.
Cincinnati starter Ryan Dempster got the first two batters but allowed a single to Brian Giles and walked Aramis Ramirez. He then threw a pitch out of the strike zone and Randall Simon hammered it for his first home run as a Pirate.
"It was one to the few mistakes I made," Dempster said. "You have to figure there are only a couple of guys who could hit that pitch because there are only a couple of guys who would swing at a pitch up, up and away like that."
The Reds got back two runs in the bottom of the first as Austin Kearns hit a two-run homer off Pittsburgh starter Kip Wells.
Ken Griffey Jr. got Cincinnati even in the third with a solo homer to left.
A two-out single by rookie Brandon Larson in the sixth gave the Reds a 4-3 lead. Cincinnati had a chance to add to it later in the inning, but Larson was thrown out at the plate on a double by Jason LaRue.
Pittsburgh left the bases loaded in the seventh as Dempster struck out Ramirez and Gabe White fanned pinch hitter Reggie Sanders.
Wells surrendered four runs and eight hits in six innings.
"He didn't have his best stuff," McClendon said. "His blister bothered him and that caused him to leave some breaking balls up. But he battled. He is showing maturity. He gave us everything he had and gave us six good innings."
Dempster allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out two.
