Cincinnati Reds Rally Late Behind Rookie Sal Stewart, Beat Pirates 8-7

Even with the Trade Deadline approaching and the Reds likely to be sellers, this team is fighting. They did just that Friday night, rallying for an 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park.

Sal Stewart clubbed his 23rd home run of the season, while adding four RBIs to increase his total to 84 at the end of July, which leads all of Major League Baseball. Nathaniel Lowe added two RBIs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth, and JJ Bleday homered for the 19th time this season.

The Reds are now 52-57, while the Pirates are now below .500 at 55-56. Cincinnati was 5.5 games out of the third National League Wild Card spot coming into Friday night.

Takeaways from the Reds' 8-7 Win over the Pirates

Two-Out Meltdown Followed by Reds' Rally in Eighth

Jul 30, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) throws to first to get Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (not pictured) out in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Reds saw a 5-4 lead turn into a 7-5 deficit with two outs in the top of the eighth, but they got off the mat themselves in the bottom of the eighth.

Sal Stewart, who finished with four RBIs Friday night, tied the game with a two-run single. Then, Nathaniel Lowe reached on a fielder's choice to give the Reds an 8-7 lead.

It was such a typical Reds' eighth inning, with a meltdown in the top half and rally in the bottom half.

After Caleb Ferguson ran into trouble to start the inning, Pierce Johnson came on to try and stem the tide and preserve a 5-4 Reds' lead. Johnson struck out Jared Triolo for the second out, but then disaster struck. Henry Davis, Jake Mangum, and Brandon Lowe all singled in runs in succession to flip a 5-4 Pirates' deficit to a 7-5 Pirates' lead.

If there's anything we have seen from the Reds' bullpen this season, it's that when they give up one big hit or walk, it begins a snowball effect. There's just not enough resilience to the Reds' bullpen. One walk here and there is fine. One hit here and there is fine. But when the hits, and especially walks, come in barrages, that's problematic. It's been a big problem all season for the Reds, and it reared its ugly head with two outs in the eighth inning Friday night.

But again, the good news is that the Reds rallied to retake the lead in the bottom of the eighth. This team has shown its ability to rally throughout the season, which is a good sign going into August and next season. Emilio Pagán closed out the game in the top of the ninth for his 12th save of the season.

Hunter Greene Pitches Six Innings in Potential Final Start with Reds

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene (21) celebrates after closing out the sixth inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs, Friday, July 10, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

If Friday night was Hunter Greene's last start with the Reds, it was a unique outing. Greene pitched six innings and allowed four earned runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out four. Of the 91 pitches Greene threw, 60 of them were for strikes.

Throwing strikes was not the problem for Greene Friday night. Just 91 pitches through six innings is good. But what was an issue Friday night for Greene was giving up runs and hits. Four runs on seven hits. Not ideal.

Hunter Greene is a really good pitcher when he's on top of his game. He throws incredibly hard, mows down opposing lineups, and pitches deep into games. Unfortunately, he has multiple waterloos: pitching efficiency, too many short outings, and allowing too many runs on occasion. That's why Friday night was unique, because he gave up a lot of runs and hits but still pitched six innings and kept his pitch count at a reasonable number. Normally, if Greene gives up too many runs and hits, he doesn't pitch a lot of innings and throws too many pitches out of the gate. He didn't do that Friday night, which was good.

It remains to be seen what happens with Hunter Greene as far as the Trade Deadline goes. He could get traded, or the Reds could decide he's untouchable and worthy of keeping to try and compete in 2027. If Friday night was his last start as a Red, it was good. But it's reasonable to wonder what could have been with a former first-round draft pick.

On Deck

The Reds and Pirates will continue their four-game series Saturday night to start the month of August. It's the third of a four-game series, and the pitching matchup is really good. It may not be Greene vs. Skenes, but it's still appetizing.

Andrew Abbott (5-6, 3.85 ERA) will start for the Reds against Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (10-4, 4.05 ERA).

First pitch is at 6:40 E.T. from Great American Ball Park, with the game televised on Reds.TV and aired on 700WLW.

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