Pirates Swept in Cincinnati: Shutout by Greene, Reds

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been searching for answers on offense the entire season. They didn’t find any against Cincinnati Reds starter Hunter Greene on Sunday.

Greene (2-1) threw 7.0 shutout innings, allowed a pair of hits and struck out eight as the Pirates (5-11) were shutout 4-0 at Great American Ball Park.

How We Got There

Santiago Espinal plated a pair for the Reds (8-8) in the bottom of the third with a single to right off Carmen Mlodzinski (1-2).

With runners on the corners in the bottom of the fifth, TJ Friedl hit a grounder to first baseman Endy Rodríguez. It looked like Rodríguez had a chance to throw home but hesitated and fired to second base instead. Noelvi Marte scored from third base and Friedl reached on a fielder’s choice.

After another base hit, Mlodzinski was lifted in favor of Joey Wentz, who allowed an inherited runner to score on an Elly De La Cruz single.

The final 23 batters of the game for the Pirates were retired in order.

Key Moment

The Pirates had runners on first and second with one out in the first. They didn’t score. Then Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a one-out in the second but was left stranded. That’s just how it’s going for Pittsburgh right now.

Star of the Game

Greene retired the final 17 batters he faced after Kiner-Falefa’s triple in the third. Surprisingly, it was the right-hander’s first-career win against the Pirates.

Notable Pirates’ Performers

• Carmen Mlodzinski: 4.1 innings, five hits, four runs, two walks, four strikeouts, 73 pitches/45 strikes
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 1 for 3, one triple
• Bryan Reynolds: 1 for 3, one double

Stat to Know

After throwing 7.0 shutout innings against the Pirates on Sunday, Greene now has a 0.98 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .126 against him. He leads all starting pitchers in opponents batting average and WHIP (0.58) and is fifth in ERA.

Noteworthy

• Oneil Cruz returned to the lineup after missing the last three games due to a finger injury. He went 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
• In three games this series, the Pirates recorded a total of 10 hits. They hit .112 as a team.

Up Next

The Pirates return to PNC Park for the start of a four-game series with the Washington Nationals on Monday night. RHP Paul Skenes (1-1, 3.44 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season. RHP Jake Irvin (0-0, 5.63 ERA) will start for the Nats. First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET.