PITTSBURGH — Edinson Volquez loves how Josh Harrison plays the game. He thinks the third baseman is the most valuable player in the National League.

Harrison hit an RBI triple and scored on Jose Tabata’s tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.

Harrison had three hits while also making a number of sparkling defensive plays. Tabata, starting in right field for the injured Travis Snider, finished with two hits in the Pirates’ sixth win in eight games.

“He’s unbelievable,” Volquez said of Harrison, who began the season as the last man on the Pirates’ bench but is now their leadoff hitter. “He can do everything. For me, he’s the MVP with the way he’s been playing. He’s an exciting player.”

Volquez was working on a no-hitter before Devin Mesoraco’s leadoff single in the seventh. He was charged with one run and three hits in 7 2-3 innings, running his unbeaten streak to seven starts.

“It was a very impressive outing,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It wasn’t his best fastball but he kept it down and no-hit them for six innings without the best stuff we’ve seen from him.”

Reds right-hander Mike Leake allowed six hits in seven innings in his second consecutive scoreless outing.

He pitched 6 2-3 innings in a 1-0 victory over Atlanta last Saturday in his previous start.

Cincinnati put two runners on in the eighth, chasing Volquez from the game. Mesoraco then put the Reds in front with an RBI single against Tony Watson (10-1), but Brandon Phillips was thrown out at home to end the inning.

The Pirates’ ERA is 2.15 over their last eight games.

Mesoraco had two of the Reds’ four hits.

The Pirates’ winning rally came against Jonathan Broxton (4-2).

Pinch-hitter Andrew Lambo, recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis before the game, singled off first baseman Todd Frazier’s glove with one out. Then Harrison and Tabata followed with their big hits.

“It was really one pitch that hurt me,” Broxton said. “Harrison hit one off the right-field wall but the other two hits were ground balls.”