Reds stumble to Pirates, putting NL wild-card hopes on thin ice
On Tuesday night the Cincinnati Reds watched a three‑hour drama unfold that now feels like a spoiler for their postseason dreams. A 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates—who sit at the bottom of the NL East—knocked Cincinnati out of the lead in the NL wild-card race and forced the club into a do‑or‑die stretch.
Game recap: Reds fall to Pirates
The evening began with Brady Singer on the mound for Cincinnati, his record a respectable 14‑11. After a quiet first, the Pirates erupted in the second inning. Jack Suwinski doubled, scoring on Nick Yorke’s single. Yorke later raced home on Alexander Canario’s double, putting Pittsburgh up 2-0. Then Oneil Cruz delivered the game‑changing blow—a 368‑foot two‑run homer that pushed the lead to 4-0 and left the Reds scrambling.
Cincinnati finally responded in the bottom of the second. Elly De La Cruz launched a 415‑foot two‑run shot to right field, his second homer since snapping a 43‑game drought two days earlier. The blast trimmed the deficit but the Reds never found another run, ending the night with just five hits.
Three double plays in the later innings highlighted the Reds’ offensive woes—one of them in the ninth inning helped Dennis Santana lock down his 15th save. A golden‑age opportunity in the sixth, with runners at the corners and two outs, evaporated when rookie Pirate pitcher Hunter Barco induced Matt McLain into a force out, earning Barco his first major‑league win.
Controversy added a side note when Suwinski appeared to make a diving catch on a Will Benson foul ball. After a Reds challenge, officials reversed the call, and Benson struck out, ending the inning with two stranded runners.
Wild‑card ramifications and what lies ahead
Before the game, the Reds sat at 80‑78, just a hair ahead of New York in the wild‑card chase. The Mets’ own 9‑7 victory over Chicago shifted the balance, leaving Cincinnati a full game behind the Mets and 15.5 games back of division leader Milwaukee. With each team having roughly ten games left, the margin for error has shrunk to almost nothing.
The next night presents another direct confrontation with Pittsburgh. Hunter Greene will take the ball for Cincinnati, sporting a 7‑4 record and a 2.74 ERA. Across the rubber, the Pirates will throw Paul Skenes, a 10‑10 pitcher with an impressive 2.03 ERA. That duel could be the decisive pivot for the Reds’ wild‑card aspirations.
Beyond the immediate series, the loss underscores how unpredictable baseball can be. A team that’s 69‑89 and hopelessly far from any postseason berth managed to wipe out a five‑game streak for a club still clinging to a slim chance. For Pittsburgh, the win offers a morale boost and a chance to showcase bright spots like Cruz’s power display and Barco’s debut success.
Looking at the broader picture, Cincinnati must rediscover its offensive rhythm quickly. The three grounding double plays illustrate a lack of situational hitting that could haunt them in the final stretch. Managers will likely shuffle the lineup, perhaps giving more consistent contact hitters a chance to break the double‑play streak.
- Current Reds record: 80‑78
- NL wild‑card gap: 1 game behind the Mets
- Key pitchers for upcoming game: Hunter Greene (CIN) vs. Paul Skenes (PIT)
- Remaining regular‑season games: approximately 10
In short, the Reds have turned a promising surge into a precarious scramble. The next series against the Pirates isn’t just another set of games; it’s a litmus test for whether Cincinnati can convert momentum into a playoff berth or watch that dream fade as the calendar winds down.
