The Pittsburgh Pirates hammered the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 on Tuesday afternoon at Great American Ball Park, taking two of three in the series behind dominant performances from Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz. The loss dropped the Reds to 3-3 on the young season.
Skenes Bounces Back
Paul Skenes bounced back from a rough season debut with five solid innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits while striking out five batters on 77 pitches. The right-hander found his rhythm early and improved to 1-1 on the season.
Cruz Puts on a Show
Oneil Cruz set the tone immediately with a towering three-run home run in the first inning, a 407-foot blast that gave Pittsburgh a lead it would never relinquish. Cruz capped a monster series in Cincinnati, going 5-for-13 with three home runs and six RBI across the three games.
Eugenio Suarez kept the Reds in it with a pinch-hit two-run homer in the sixth, pulling Cincinnati within 4-3. But the Pirates blew it open in the ninth against Emilio Pagan. Bryan Reynolds launched a two-run homer — his 140th career homer as a Pirate, moving him to ninth on the franchise all-time list — and Nick Gonzales added a two-run single to cap the scoring.
Abbott Takes the Loss
Andrew Abbott fell to 0-1 in his second start, lasting 5.2 innings while surrendering four earned runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. It was a stark contrast to his dominant Opening Day outing against the Red Sox, when he tossed six scoreless innings. The command that made him so effective in that debut eluded him against a Pirates lineup swinging with confidence throughout the series.
Looking Ahead
The Reds head to Texas for a three-game series at Globe Life Field starting Thursday, looking to regroup after dropping their first home series of the young season. The Pirates improved to 3-3 and earned their first series victory of 2026, riding Cruz's breakout performance.
