Reds Offense Struggles to Find Big Hit, Fall to Pirates 4-2 on Tuesday

CINCINNATI -- It was a frustrating night for the Reds at the plate. After Elly De La Cruz's two-run home run in the bottom of the second made it a 4-2 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Reds didn't score the rest of the game. Pittsburgh didn't score either, which makes it even more frustrating.

On a night with nearly 30,000 fans in attendance, the Reds' offense was how it's been all season. Their offensive deficiencies showed themselves again tonight, with not being able to get runners in and lacking plate discipline.

The Reds fell behind early 4-0, with the Pirates piling on four runs in the top of the second. After De La Cruz's two-run home run, it looked like the Reds were going to maybe rally and come back. They had their chances, but they couldn't get the big hit.

Let's look at the key takeaways from Tuesday night's 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Double Plays Stymie The Reds Rallies

The Reds did a good job of getting on base Tuesday night. They just couldn’t do anything with those baserunners.

Cincinnati had three inning-ending double plays Tuesday night. Those are deflating, especially when they end innings. Not to mention, they were in the final three innings.

Give the Pirates defense credit. They still needed to turn them cleanly, and they did.

Brady Singer Battles To Keep Reds In The Game

Brady Singer bounced back nicely after allowing four runs in the top of the second inning Tuesday night. He didn’t allow any runs the rest of the way in pitching 5 1/3 innings.

Singer allowed seven hits, but only three came after the second inning. He didn’t walk any batters, and he struck out three batters.

Coming over in a trade from Kansas City last November, Singer has done a really good job adding depth to the Reds' rotation. It remains to be seen if Singer will start again in the regular season, but Reds fans should feel comfortable with him on the mound if he does.

Updating The National League Wild Card Race

With the 4-2 loss, the Reds are now 80-77 with five games remaining.

In Chicago, the New York Mets trailed 6-1 in the top of the fifth. Unfortunately, they rallied to take the lead 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth at the time this story was published. If the Mets hang on, they will take a one-game lead on the Reds for the third National League Wild Card.

The Arizona Diamondbacks play the Los Angeles Dodgers in southern California later tonight, while the San Francisco Giants play the St. Louis Cardinals by The Bay later tonight.

On Deck

Wednesday night is an elite pitching matchup at Great American Ball Park.

Reds right-hander Hunter Greene (7-4, 2.74 ERA) will start against Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (10-10, 2.03 ERA). This is about as good as it gets with what is at stake.

First pitch is at 6:40 E.T. on FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati and 700WLW.

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