The Cincinnati Reds used a late rally and timely hitting to claim their second consecutive win of their four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who will take the field Saturday facing an injury that could sideline a key contributor.
Each team collected 12 hits Friday, but Cincinnati overcame a trio of deficits to earn an 8-7 victory. The Reds also drew seven walks, keeping traffic on the bases and constant pressure on the visiting Pirates.
“It was a roller coaster ride from the first pitch to the last pitch,” Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene said. “But the boys did a really good job continuing to fight in their at-bats and push.”
The Friday night loss could prove devastating for the Pirates, who now have dropped four games in a row and saw ace Paul Skenes give up five earned runs in four innings.
Pittsburgh’s Ryan O’Hearn had to be helped off the field in the ninth after he unsuccessfully tried to beat out a high chopper to second. He hopped awkwardly as he crossed the first base bag.
“It was a quad injury and it didn’t look good,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.
It certainly looked to be an injury that will force O’Hearn to miss some time for the Pirates, who fell 2 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot in the National League.
“Every loss hurts, but to couple that with the loss of a guy like O’Hearn, nothing ever feels good when that happens, and we’re just praying that it’s not as bad as it could be,” veteran Brandon Lowe said.
A free-agent acquisition in the offseason, O’Hearn is hitting .270 in 96 games. His 17 home runs tie his career high, and he has driven in 69 runs.
“We’ve shown a lot of resiliency and this is going to be something we have to dig deep and find a way to overcome,” Kelly said. “We have to collectively find a way to pull together and get over this loss.”
The Reds are 4 1/2 games out of the wild card but would need to leapfrog six teams to qualify for the postseason.
On Friday, rookie Sal Stewart, who leads the majors with 84 RBIs, went 2-for-5 with two runs, a two-run homer and four RBIs, including a game-tying, two-run single in Cincinnati’s three-run eighth inning.
“I think Sal really looks forward to those situations and thrives in them, too,” Reds manager Terry Francona said.
Left-hander Andrew Abbott (5-6, 3.85 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Reds on Saturday. In his most recent outing, he took a no-decision in Cincinnati’s 5-3, 10-inning win against the St. Louis Cardinals last Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts over six innings.
Abbott has five career starts against the Pirates and is 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA. He has 32 strikeouts and eight walks over 26 innings.
The Pirates will turn to righty Braxton Ashcraft (10-4, 4.05), who allowed four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five in an 8-7 home win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
Although he made his first All-Star appearance in July, Ashcraft went 2-1 with a 7.78 ERA in four starts during the month and said he wants to get back to basics in August.
“It goes back to buying into what my identity is, and what got me to the big leagues,” Ashcraft said. “I have a pretty good fastball. … I can throw strikes in the zone and expand when I want to.”
In four career starts against the Reds, Ashcraft is 0-2 with a 2.11 ERA, including two outings this season. He took the loss on March 30 after allowing two runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts over six innings in a 2-0 defeat.
On May 3, he received a no-decision after tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits with two walks and six strikeouts in Cincinnati’s 1-0 victory.
–Field Level Media
