Biggest Winners in Pirates Sweep of Reds
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates got a massive sweep over the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park this past weekend, with so many of their players going above and beyond across the baseball diamond.
The Pirates showed off their hitting with a 9-1 win in the series opener on May 1 and then a 17-7 victory on May 2, marking their highest-run total of the season and their most runs scored since July 1, 2018 in a 18-5 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Pittsburgh then won a big pitcher's duel in the series finale, 1-0, which secured the sweep, but also saw them get timely hitting when they needed it most.
The Pirates had just come off a four-game sweep to the St. Louis Cardinals at home, but are 19-16 overall and still in a good spot for competing in the tough National League Central, particularly after these players came through.
Henry Davis Finds Power vs. Reds
Pirates fans didn't expect Henry Davis to do much from the plate vs. the Reds, as he had been struggling all season long and hadn't shown any real progress from a poor 2025 season, where he hit just .167.
Davis would hit two home runs for the Pirates in their series opener win, with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning and then a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
His first home run came on a 91 mph sinker over the middle of the plate from Reds right-handed starting pitcher Brady Singer, which he sent 105.8 mph off the bat and 415 feet to center field onto the "PIRATES" Lawn.
Davis then hit an 85.8 mph slider in the middle of the plate from Reds right-handed relief pitcher Zach Maxwell, sending it 103.7 mph off the bat and pulling it 385 feet into the left field bleachers.
Those served as Davis' first two home runs of the season and also served as his first three-RBI game of his MLB career. It was also his second multi-home run game, as he hit two home runs off of Shohei Ohtani back on July 21, 2023 as a rookie.
"Felt really good," Davis said about his performance. "I’ve hit homers in the past with the swing not right, but seeing my barrel work through the middle of the field … I’ve been doing it in batting practice for a while. Old, bad habits have been taking over in the game. To see it happen, to take a fastball to the middle of the field really felt good."
Davis is still hitting poorly on the season, slashing .162/.253/.284 for an OPS of .537 in 28 games and having 12 hits in 74 at-bats.
He'll need to continue to show more of this power going forward, as the Pirates need more contributions from at the plate in 2026.
Starting Pitching Dominates and Dazzles
The Pirates had just come off their sweep vs. the Cardinals and their series finale defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers on the road for a five-game losing streak, with the starting pitching responsible for some of that poor play.
Pittsburgh's starters bounced back and played an important role in the sweep over Cincinnati, which benefitted their bullpen greatly and their offense as well.
Mitch Keller had his finest outing of the season, allowing just three hits, a walk and an earned run over seven innings and a season-high 104 pitches, while tying his season-high of six strikeouts in the series opener.
Carmen Mlodzinski had a few issues early on, but when he settled in, the Reds couldn't get a bat to a ball, as he finsihed with 10 strikeouts, tying his career-high as a professional and the most he's had in the major leagues.
Mlodzinski ended up allowing five earned runs, but also threw six innings, giving the bullpen a break in the blowout win.
Braxton Ashcraft found himself in a pitcher's duel with Reds right-hander Chase Burns, who allowed just three hits over seven scoreless innings.
Ashcraft battled valiantlty, throwing 7.2 scoreless innings himself and finishing with six strikeouts, giving the Pirates a chance to go on and win it late.
The Pirates starting pitching had allowed a combined 17 earned runs allowed over 18 innings pitched in four games for an 8.50 ERA during their five-game losing streak, but just six earned runs over 20.2 innings vs. the Reds for a 2.61 ERA.
Pittsburgh has a strong starting rotation, especially with Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and rookie Bubba Chandler in the mix, and it's a big part of why they could go on and finally make the postseason for the first time since 2015.
Bryan Reynolds Goes For Cycle
The Pirates needed someone to come up big in that first game vs. the Reds and outfielder Bryan Reynolds did just that.
Reynolds hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead, then hit an RBI-triple in the bottom of the second inning to double that lead at 2-0 en route to the 9-1 victory.
That home run was the fourth on the season for Reynolds and his first in over three weeks, since his two-run home run in the 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 10.
He continued that strong performance into the second game, walking twice in the first two innings and scoring on each of them, including being one of the seven consecutive players that walked in the second inning, which tied a MLB record.
Reynolds also added a single in the bottom of the third inning and then an RBI-double in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it a 12-3 lead for the Pirates at that point.
He finished the series with four hits in 10 at-bats, three RBI and four walks, bringing his total to 29 on the season, second-best in the National League and tied for fourth-best in baseball.
Reynolds is still a key part of the Pirates and as the longest-tenured member of the team, they need him hitting even better as the season goes on.
Konnor Griffin Has Best Series Yet
Griffin is now at a month into his time as a major leaguer and this series vs. the Reds was his best yet.
He had six hits in 12 at-bats, two doubles, one triple, three RBI and walking twice with just one strikeout in the sweep of Cincinnati.
Griffin had his first four-hit game of his MLB career in the second game of the series, which included an RBI-double in the first inning and a triple in the fourth inning, plus all four hits at more than 100 mph exit velocity.
He came through for the Pirates late in the series finale, with a double in the bottom of the eighth inning that almost went out for a home run, 108.2 mph off the bat and 406 feet off the center field wall.
Griffin later scored, thanks to an RBI-single from center fielder Oneil Cruz, which he easily beat out the throw, sliding across home plate way ahead.
He has slashed slashed .405/.463/.676 for an OPS of 1.139 over the past 10 games, which started on his 20th birthday, and is now slashing .262/.325/.398 for an OPS of .723 on the season.
Griffin is still young, but he's showing growth already and it's a good sign for a Pirates team that would love to see more production from him at the plate this year.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.