Losing streak over, Pirates strive for another win vs. Reds

Fresh from snapping their five-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Pirates will look for back-to-back wins when they host the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday afternoon.

The Pirates hit four home runs in Friday’s 9-1 rout of the Reds, including two by catcher Henry Davis, who scored three times and drove in three runs.

Bryan Reynolds, who was 2-for-4 for a second straight game, continues to tear up Cincinnati pitching, homering Friday night to give him three home runs this season against the Reds, and 19 for his career against them.

Reynolds extended his on-base streak to five straight plate appearances with the home run in the first inning and triple in the third before striking out in the fourth.

Saturday’s pitching matchup will feature Cincinnati’s Rhett Lowder (3-1, 3.18 ERA) and Pittsburgh’s Carmen Mlodzinski (1-2, 4.13) in a battle of right-handers.

Following a lost 2025 season plagued by oblique and elbow injuries, Lowder, 24, has emerged as a crucial anchor in the Cincinnati rotation through his first six starts.

Lowder’s performance is a major boost for a Reds team navigating early-season injuries to Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and most recently this week Brandon Williamson.

Lowder is coming off an effective outing against Detroit last Sunday when he allowed two runs and six hits in five innings and left with a 3-2 lead against the Detroit Tigers. But the bullpen failed and the Reds lost 8-3.

“I’m just trying to keep getting better and be the best pitcher I can be,” Lowder said. “I’m getting stronger each week, and it’s just fun to be on a routine and just focus on getting guys out.”

Against Detroit, Lowder struck out a season-high seven batters, with his only two runs allowed coming in the first inning with two outs. He retired 10 of his last 11 batters. In one career appearance against the Pirates, Lowder pitched five shutout innings and allowed five hits in September 2024.

The Reds have been exceptional away from home this season, with 10 wins in their first 14 road games, a feat achieved just four times by the club since 1900.

TJ Friedl, 8-for-23 in his last six games, was the lone Cincinnati star of Friday’s loss in Pittsburgh, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

The Pirates’ woes have often stemmed from starting behind, as they are 15-6 when scoring first, but only 2-10 when opponents score first.

“Every team is going to have skids,” Pirates ace Paul Skenes said. “Just got to get back to who we are, just our game, not try to do too much. Just got to be us.”

Through six appearances (five starts), Mlodzinski has 30 strikeouts over 28 1/3 innings. His season began with promise, as he posted a stellar 1.77 ERA in his first four starts. This stretch was highlighted by a six-inning, scoreless performance against the Washington Nationals on April 15 and 5 1/3 shutout frames against the Chicago Cubs on April 10.

However, late April has been a different story, as he has allowed nine earned runs over just eight combined innings against the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers.

“I’m just trying to be better this year than last year, learn from some great guys in our rotation, and play a part in all of us trying to one-up each other,” Mlodzinski said.

Mlodzinski is 0-2 with an ERA of 3.45 in eight career appearances vs. Cincinnati.

-Field Level Media