CINCINNATI, Oh. (WMDJ) — The Cincinnati Reds survived a late-inning slugfest Friday night, rallying past the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7, at Great American Ball Park.
Pittsburgh scored twice in the opening inning, but the Reds answered with RBI hits from Tyler Stephenson and Nathaniel Lowe. JJ Bleday tied the game with a solo home run in the third before Sal Stewart’s two-run homer gave Cincinnati a 5-3 lead in the fourth.
Pirates starter Paul Skenes allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks over four innings. He struck out seven.
Pittsburgh erased Cincinnati’s lead with three runs in the eighth, taking a 7-5 advantage. The Reds responded immediately. Stewart tied the game with a two-run single before scoring the go-ahead run when Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe failed to complete a play on Nathaniel Lowe’s ground ball.
Stewart finished with four RBIs and scored twice. Emilio Pagán pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his second victory in as many nights.
The Reds have won the first two games of the four-game series. Game three is Saturday at 6:40 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:10 p.m. on WMDJ FM 100.1.
