By Zachary McMahon-
The Pittsburgh Pirates hosted the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park in Pittsburgh for a series finale of the four-game weekend series. The Pirates were trying to win the series, while the Reds were trying to split it, as the Pirates won two out of the first three games of the series.
Luis Ortiz tossed six innings for the Bucs, allowing four hits, no earned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. Nick Martinez had an abbreviated start where he just pitched three innings, allowing five hits, two runs (one earned), no walks and a strikeout.
Isaiah Kiner-Falefa singled and then reached second on a error by Spencer Steer to lead off the game, O’Neil Cruz hit a single, and then Joey Bart hit a groundout which brought Kiner-Falefa home.
Bart exited the game in the third with right hamstring discomfort, and Connor Joe pinch hit for him as the designated hitter in the third and flew out.
Bryan Reynolds hit a RBI single that made it 2-0, and Ortiz continued to pitch shutout innings. After he was taken out, the Bucs used three pitchers in the seventh. Reynolds has hit safely in four out of the last six games.
Kyle Nicholas grounded out Amed Rosario to lead off, but Noelvi Marte singled and Johnathan India doubled, Jalen Beeks came in and Elly De La Cruz hit a RBI single, and Tyler Stepenson intentionally walked, which loaded the bases. T.J. Freidl bunted and reached on an error, which brought India to tie the game at two, and Beeks pitched his way into a deficit with a bases loaded walk to Steer. Dennis Santana came in for Beeks and got the final two outs of the inning.
Santana and Chapman shutted out the Reds in the eighth and ninth innings, and then Yasmani Grandal hit a walk-off two run home run to win the game for the Bucs, 4-3. This is the Bucs’s seventh walk-off victory this season, and the first walk-off homer of the season, and the fourth career walk-off homer in Grandal’s career.
Santiago Espinal hit a double to extend his hitting streak to eight games, while Stephenson doubled to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
Cruz hit two singles to extend his on-base streak to 17 games for the Pirates. Bryan De La Cruz was hit in the ninth, aso he has reached base in nine out of the last 11 games.
The Pirates will continue their homestand with a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs starting on Monday at 6:40 pm where Mitch Keller will pitch against Jameson Tallion, The Pirates have not named a starter for Tuesday at the time of writing.
The Reds will travel back to Cincinnati where they were play the Oakland Athletics for a three-game series starting on Tuesday at 6:40 pm. A starter has not been announced for Tuesday and Thursday’s games at the time of writing.
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