The game turned in the third inning, and Cincinnati never caught up. Pittsburgh strung together walks and a fielder's choice for three runs, and that was enough for a 4-1 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Braxton Ashcraft did the rest. The right-hander worked 5.0 innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 run (1 earned) with 5 strikeouts and just 1 walk, improving to 11-4 with a 3.96 ERA. Carmen Mlodzinski followed with 3.0 scoreless innings, giving up just 1 hit while striking out 4, and Gregory Soto closed it out for his 14th save of the season.
Pittsburgh's decisive inning came in the third. Bryan Reynolds walked to bring home Davis, giving the Pirates a lead they never lost. Esmerlyn Valdez then walked to score Mangum, and Nick Gonzales grounded into a fielder's choice that plated Lowe, making it 3-0. The Pirates added an insurance run in the sixth when Davis singled to right, scoring Ozuna, for the final 4-1 margin.
Andrew Abbott took the loss for Cincinnati, going 5.0 innings and allowing 3 hits and 3 runs, all earned, while walking 5 and striking out 1. His only run support came in the fifth, when Jose Trevino homered to right for a solo shot, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Abbott falls to 5-7 with a 3.91 ERA. The Reds' bullpen covered 4.0 innings behind him, allowing 1 run, while Pittsburgh's relievers combined for 4.0 scoreless innings.
Pittsburgh improved to 56-56, snapping back with a win after its previous game, while Cincinnati fell to 52-58. Abbott, who finished with 1 strikeout in the outing, remains 22 shy of 500 career strikeouts.