Pirates Offense Sputters Again in Sweep by Reds
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The Pirates’ offensive woes continued Sunday in a 4-0 loss to the Reds, who completed their first series sweep of Pittsburgh since August 2021. Cincinnati held the Pirates to just two hits, dropping them to 5-11 on the season. The Reds ended the game retiring 23 hitters in a row, and the Pirates did not have a baserunner after the second inning.
Enmanuel Valdez struck out looking on a corner-painted 99 MPH fastball by Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene to begin the game. The Reds ace came into today's game with 12 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. His fastball has averaged 99.5 MPH, the fastest of any starter in MLB. Pittsburgh's first at-bat was a microcosm of the day to come for the Pirates offense.
Bryan Reynolds gave the Pirates some early momentum when he drove a fastball to the right center field gap for a double. Greene then walked Oneil Cruz on four straight pitches, putting runners on first and second with one out. An Endy Rodriguez flyout to right field tagged Reynolds to third. Cruz would then steal second base for his MLB-leading eighth stolen base. A soft line drive to shortstop Elly De La Cruz off the bat of Alexander Canario would get Greene out of the early jam.
Pirates starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski retired the top of the Reds lineup in order in the bottom half of the first inning. The Pirates would then get their first hit on a ball slapped to right field by Kiner-Falefa. The Reds' right fielder T.J. Friedl took a risky jump on the ball, and it went by him to the wall. Kiner-Falefa would advance to third for his first triple of the season. Greene then got a key strikeout of Tsung-Che Cheng. He escaped his second straight pressure on the basepaths when Henry Davis hit a soft pop-up to shortstop Santiago Espinal
Gavin Lux provided the Reds their first hit when he laced a Mlodzsinski fastball to left field past Frazier, who took a similar risk as Friedl did the previous inning. Lux would make it to second for his fourth double on the season. Spencer Steer hit a ground ball to Kiner-Falefa for the first out, failing to advance Lux. Mlodzinski then mirrored Greene with a clutch strikeout for the second out. Canario made an athletic, sliding catch in right field to get the Pirates out of their own jam.
Por Ahí No 🚫Canario salva la entrada. pic.twitter.com/7oo8kdBEmX
— Los Piratas (@piratasbeisbol) April 13, 2025
The Pirates went down in order during the third inning, as Greene induced a flyout to Reynolds between two strikeouts.
Austin Wynns got things started for the Reds in the third inning with a leadoff walk. Friedl would then send a line drive over the first baseman Valdez's head for a double, putting runners on second and third with no outs.
Espinal then blooped a single over the second baseman's head, bringing around two runners, and giving the Reds an early 2-0 lead. Mlodzinski limited the damage after this, getting out of the inning with that score in tact.
Noelvi Marte walked on four pitches to start the bottom of the fifth. He then stole second base during the next at-bat. Wynns laced a line drive to right field that Canario got to quickly, halting Marte at third base. This brought up the top of the order, with no outs and runners on first and third.
Friedl then hit a soft ground ball to first base for a forceout at second base that allowed Marte to score — and give the Reds a 3-0 lead. Espinal kept the pressure on the Pirates with a single to right field. That would be the end of Mlodzinski's day, as Joey Wentz was called in from the bullpen.
Wentz could not stop the bleeding, as De La Cruz singled to right field, scoring Espinal to make the game 4-0. Lux then walked to load the bases for Cincinnati. Wentz finally ended the inning with two consecutive popouts. Mlodzinski's final statline for the day was 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, and 4 K. He threw 73 pitches, 45 of them for strikes. He suffered the loss, as Greene picked up the win.
Greene nabbed his seventh and eighth strikeouts of the day during the sixth inning, getting Reynolds to go down swinging and Cruz looking.
Hunter Greene, Perfect 100mph Fastball. 🎯
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 13, 2025
Doesn't get any better than that. pic.twitter.com/Pb7hdwABVo
Justin Lawrence came on to pitch the seventh for Pittsburgh. He pitched a hitless and scoreless frame, striking out two Reds hitters.
Greene concluded his quality start by retiring 17 consecutive Pirates. His scoreless start stretched his streak to 19 innings without allowing a run. His final line for the day was 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, and 8 K. He threw 98 pitches, 71 of them for strikes. The young right-hander is looking like a potential early favorite for the National League Cy Young award, and today's start only solidified that buzz. The Pirates could never seem to catch up to his fastball and were likely ecstatic to see him come out of the game.
However, it was much of the same story against the Reds' bullpen. Ian Gibaut pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Tony Santillan came on for the ninth inning in a non-save situation, sending down the Pirates quietly and sealing the 4-0 victory — and series sweep.
Pittsburgh returns home for a week-long homestand. They open a four game series against the Washington Nationals on Monday night at PNC Park.
Ace Paul Skenes (1-1, 3.44 ERA, 20 K) will take the mound for the Pirates, as Brad Lord (3 IP, 0 ER, 4 K in first 2025 start) gets the nod for Washington. First pitch is expected at 6:40 p.m. EST.
Ethan Merrill is from Grand Rapids, MI, and brings with him a diverse background of experiences. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, he worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks for three seasons before settling in the Pittsburgh area in 2020. With a passion for sports and a growing connection to his community, Ethan brings a fresh perspective to covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.