The Cincinnati Reds Drop Another Series: Fall to Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1

The Cincinnati Reds dropped their fourth straight series on Wednesday, losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1.

The Reds fall to six games under .500 at 37-43 while the Pirates improve to 39-41 on the season.

Here are our postgame takeaways:

Graham Ashcraft Struggles in Return

Ashcraft made his return to the Reds after making two starts in Triple-A with the Louisville Bats and Nick Lodolo was placed on the injured list. It didn't go well. He threw 5 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits. Ashcraft walked a batter and struck out two. His season ERA now sits at 5.45.

Bats Went Quiet

The Reds were without Jeimer Candelario and Jake Fraley in the lineup today, both dealing with injuries. Pirates' starting pitcher Luis Ortiz shut down the Reds' offense, allowing one run in six innings in his first start of the season. He struck out a career-high seven batters. The Reds' lone run came when Jonathan India doubled home Stuart Fairchild in the third inning.

Up Next

The Reds head to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals in a four-game series starting on Thursday.

News and Notes

• Jonathan India extended his hit streak to eight games and has had a multi-hit day in five straight games.
• Elly De La Cruz went 0-4, breaking his streak of four straight games with multiple hits.
• Justin Wilson, Lucas Sims, and Alexis Diaz did not allow a run in 3 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.
• Livan Soto made his Reds' debut, going 0-3 with a strikeout.
• The Reds have lost eight of their last 11 games.
• Bryan Reynolds has hit 15 home runs against the Reds since 2019, second in the Majors only to Ian Happ with 19.
• Reynolds extended his hit streak to 23 games.