PITTSBURGH – In one Friday night at PNC Park, the Reds bucked a pair of unsightly trends. First, they finally got to Pirates ace Paul Skenes and put together a big rally. And in doing that, it helped them defeat a division rival.
Skenes had already departed when Noelvi Marte connected for a tiebreaking two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning that sent the Reds to a 6-4 win over Pittsburgh.
It was a 4-4 game when lefty reliever Mason Montgomery gave up a one-out single to Sal Stewart. Next up was the right-handed Marte, who batted for lefty hitter Nathaniel Lowe and hit a full-count fastball from the southpaw Montgomery for the first pinch-hit homer of his career.
The win improved the Reds' record to 3-16 against teams from the National League Central after six straight in-division losses – including the previous three games vs. the Brewers. It was also the first time they won a game in seven games started by Skenes, who came in 5-0 with a 0.53 ERA against Cincinnati for his career.
But the Pirates have lost each of Skenes' last seven starts this season. The Reds broke through with four runs against him while batting around in the second inning. It started with Lowe hitting a leadoff double into center field – the first of four straight hits. The run-producing hits came from Spencer Steer, who drove in Lowe with a single to left-center field, and Tyler Stephenson, whose RBI single to right field plated Eugenio Suárez. Blake Dunn and Elly De La Cruz each provided sacrifice flies for a 4-1 Reds lead.
It took Skenes 38 pitches to complete the inning, but the Reds could not land a putaway blow as he retired 10 of his last 11 batters.
Reds starter Andrew Abbott gave up Konnor Griffin's leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning but kept Pittsburgh's lineup in check until the fifth inning. Leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, Suárez's two-base throwing error on a grounder from Henry Davis led to an unearned run.
Opening the bottom of the sixth, Abbott's 3-2 fastball was taken deep for a homer to center field by Marcell Ozuna. Two batters later, Esmerlyn Valdez tied the game by hitting a 2-0 Abbott fastball to left field for a solo homer.