Game Log: June 28, 2026 vs Reds
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| PIT | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | x | 9 | 11 | 1 |
The Pirates took the finale from the Reds 9-4 to avoid the sweep and get back to 42-42. They jumped out early, gave the lead back, and then pulled away late.
They put up four in the second. Esmerlyn Valdez doubled home Nick Gonzales, and then Tyler Callihan hit a three-run homer to make it 4-0. Callihan had a good day at the plate, two-for-four with the homer and three RBI.
Mitch Keller took the ball and gave them six innings, allowing four runs, three earned, with four strikeouts. The Reds got to him in the fourth and fifth, with a couple of runs each inning off some singles and a Tyler Stephenson double, tying it at 4-4. Keller settled in and kept them there through six. That’s two straight outings of six innings.
Ryan O’Hearn put the Pirates back ahead in the fifth with a solo homer to make it 5-4. That held up as the go-ahead run.
The eighth is where they pulled away. O’Hearn and Valdez went back-to-back, O’Hearn with a three-run shot to make it 8-4 and Valdez following with a solo homer to make it 9-4. It was O’Hearn’s second of the day, and he finished three-for-five with two homers and four RBI. Valdez had a strong afternoon of his own, three-for-four with a double, the homer, and two RBI. The bullpen handled the rest, Mlodzinski with two scoreless and Santana closing out the ninth.
They avoided the sweep and got back to even. On to the next one.
Keller gave them six strong. Six innings, three earned, four strikeouts. Another six inning outing for him.
O'Hearn brought the offense. Three-for-five with two homers and four RBI, including a three-run shot in the eighth that put it away.
The bats broke it open late. Tied at 4-4 in the fifth, they scored on an O'Hearn homer and then tacked on four more in the eighth to pull away.