PITTSBURGH -- On March 28, Scooter Gennett was placed on waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers and claimed by his hometown team.

Two weeks later, he bashed a three-run homer to help the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Tuesday. It was his third home run of the young season.

Gennett (3-for-4) also singled and scored what would be the game-winning run on Billy Hamilton's single in the seventh inning off Pirates reliever Juan Nicasio (0-1). In the eighth, Gennett added some insurance runs with a three-run blast off Trevor Williams to break open what had been a back-and-forth affair to that point.

Of Gennett's first five hits this season, four have gone for extra bases.

"He doesn't hit singles, only doubles and home runs, apparently. I didn't know that about him until we got him," manager Bryan Price joked about the Cincinnati native. "What a boost he gave us in a 3-2 game."

Gennett's damage came from the seventh spot in the Cincinnati order and provided a spark on a night when star first baseman Joey Votto went 0-for-4.

"They have a good lineup. They're deep," Pirates starter Jameson Taillon said. "There's home runs in there, there's some speed, there's some average, some slappy guys. It's a good lineup. You can't take them lightly."

It was a one-run game for most of the early going, with the Reds twice earning a lead only to have the Pirates come back to tie it. The difference in the end was the Reds' ability to come through with a clutch hit. Cincinnati went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position while the Pirates went 0-for-10 and are 0-for-19 over the last two games.

"We haven't been able to produce," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "I see guys going up and trying to put quality at-bats while we have men on base, but 0-for-19 pretty much speaks for itself. We're getting out there, we're not getting in, we're not touching the plate."

Cincinnati reliever Drew Storen (1-0) earned the win, allowing one unearned run in one inning. Raisel Iglesias pitched 1 2/3 innings to record his third save.

Reds starting pitcher Rookie Davis threw four innings of two-hit, one-run ball before leaving in the fifth inning because of a bruised right forearm.

While batting in the top half of the inning, Davis attempted to bunt and was hit in the arm by a Taillon pitch. Davis took his place at first base but was replaced on the mound in the bottom of the inning by Tony Cingrani. Davis threw 88 pitches, walked four and struck out three.

"I kind of was in shock a little bit," Davis said. "Out of his hand I saw it coming at my face, so I just wanted to get out of the way a little bit. It hit me and the first thing I did was move my hand and then once I got down to first base it kind of set in, the tightness."

Price said he didn't consider sending Davis back out after the injury but is hopeful that the right-hander will be able to take his regular turn on Sunday against Milwaukee.

The Reds gained a 2-1 lead by manufacturing a run in the fourth off Taillon. Jose Peraza hit a soft double to shallow right field, stole third base and scored on an RBI single by Eugenio Suarez.

The Pirates executed a double steal with Gregory Polanco on first base and Starling Marte on third in the third inning. The throw went from Cincinnati catcher Tucker Barnhart to second base and back to Barnhart ahead of Marte, but Marte avoided the tag with a headfirst slide into home that was upheld by a replay review.

"It worked well because I saw the count was 1-1 and knew it was good to run then," Polanco said. "It worked pretty good."

It was the first steal of home plate by a Pirates player since June 27, 2015. Marte was the runner on that play as well.

Adam Duvall started the scoring with a solo home run off Taillon in the second inning. It was Duvall's third of the season.

Taillon gave up two runs on four hits in six innings.

NOTES: Reds RHP Austin Brice returned from a rehab assignment, was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list and optioned to Double-A Pensacola. Brice made two rehab appearances for Pensacola. He had been sidelined with ulnar nerve inflammation since early March. ... Pirates 2B Josh Harrison returned to the lineup after missing one game with a right calf injury. Harrison went 2-for-4. ... Pirates 3B David Freese singled in the eighth inning for his 800th career hit. ... Attendance was 11,027, the lowest-attended Pirates game at PNC Park since 2013.