Takeaways: Pirates Show Resiliency in Sweep of Reds

The Pirates tied a MLB record with seven straight walks in the second inning, which scored four runs, and had happened only twice prior.

Pittsburgh also didn't have a home run in that 17-7 victory, scoring 15 of their runs with five runs each in the first, second and fourth innings, and had all nine starting players hit an RBI.

The Pirates got great contributions from so many players, such as catcher Henry Davis hitting two home runs in the series opener, outfielder Bryan Reynolds almost hitting for the cycle in that same game, plus right fielder Ryan O'Hearn, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Spencer Horwitz driving in three runs each in the second game.

Pittsburgh only got a 1-0 win over the Reds in the series finale, but shortstop Konnor Griffin almost hit a home run, turning into a double, and then center fielder Oneil Cruz came through with the go-ahead, RBI-single to win it.

The Pirates weren't particularly poor from the plate in their losing streak, but they showed just how dominant their bats can be, plus how clutch they are as well, even when they aren't producing early on.

Starting Pitching Bounces Back

The Pirates starting pitching had little success during their five-game losing streak, allowing a combined 17 earned runs allowed over 18 innings pitched in four games for an 8.50 ERA.

Mitch Keller got things started for the Pirates with seven innings off of the mound, allowing just three hits a walk and a run and tying his season-high of six strikeouts in the series opener win.

Carmen Mlodzinski wasn't as effective, giving up five earned runs, but outside of his struggles in the first two innings, where he gave up two runs, he dominated the Reds, finishing with 10 strikeouts.

Those 10 strikeouts tied his career-high and were the most for him in the major leagues, as he also threw a career-high 101 pitches over six innings.

Braxton Ashcraft then ended the series with an incredible outing, with 7.2 scoreless innings, giving up four hits and two walks, while posting six strikeouts over 82 pitches.

He didn't earn the win, but he battled with Reds starter Chase Burns, who threw seven scoreless innings and posted seven strikeouts, making for a fantastic pitcher's duel.

The Pirates bullpen got a much needed rest vs. the Reds, which was important as this was 13 straight games for them and 23 games in 24 days overall.

If the Pirates can keep getting these outings from their starting pitching, they'll have one of the better pitching staffs in all of baseball, which they took pride in having prior to the start of the campaign.

Pirates Competing Well Against NL Central

The Pirates suffered their four-game sweep to the St. Louis Cardinals, but that is a rarity for how they've handled facing their National League Central Division foes in 2026.

Pittsburgh has won four of their five series against divisional opponents and are 9-3 outside of the sweep to St. Louis.

The Pirates took two out of three games on the road vs. their divisional rivals, including vs. the Reds at Great American Ball Park, March 30-April 1, vs. the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, April 10-12, and vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.

Pittsburgh hadn't won their first three series against divisional opponents since 1994 and doing all three of those on the road was incredibly important.

The Pirates also are 5-1 against the Reds this season and were the first team to get a win by less than two runs over them in the 1-0 win in the series finale.

The NL Central still has five teams above .500, with the Pirates at 19-16, but success against your division is important, particularly later on in the season when teams are looking to book a spot in the playoffs.