Heavy rain and shaky command combined to turn Saturday night into an early grind for the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Cincinnati and Pittsburgh were stopped by a weather delay in the third inning, but the damage had already started for Andrew Abbott. The left-hander couldn’t find the zone during a rough stretch, throwing 12 of 15 pitches for balls and issuing two walks that forced in runs as the Pirates moved ahead 2-0. Pittsburgh then pushed across another run on a fielder’s choice to stretch the lead to 3-0.
The Reds did get a little life later when Jose Trevino launched a solo homer, his fourth of the season, to cut the deficit to 3-1. But the Pirates answered again in the sixth, scoring off Zach McCambley to make it 4-1.
Abbott came in having settled down after a difficult start to the year. He entered Saturday at 5-8 with a 3.85 ERA, and his most recent outing was a strong one despite the no-decision in the Reds’ 10-inning, 5-3 win over the Cardinals on July 26.
In that game, he gave up two earned runs on three hits over six innings, walking four and striking out four on 100 pitches. That marked his second straight quality start and his third in his last four turns.
His broader stretch since April 30 has been even more impressive. Over his last 16 starts, Abbott has put up a 2.95 ERA in 88.1 innings, held hitters to a .215 average, and piled up eight quality starts with 75 strikeouts.
On the other side, Braxton Ashcraft was set to start for Pittsburgh, and the source noted he is not related to Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft. The Pirates right-hander came in 10-4 with a 4.05 ERA and was making his 22nd appearance of the season after picking up the win in Pittsburgh’s 8-7 victory over the Cubs on July 26. In that outing, he allowed four runs over six innings while striking out five.
Ashcraft has missed bats all year, with 135 strikeouts, the seventh-most in the National League. Still, his recent run has been rough: in his last three starts, he has given up 16 earned runs in 14 innings. Even so, Pittsburgh managed to go 2-1 in those games.
The matchup also carried some favorable history for Cincinnati. Since Great American Ball Park opened in 2003, the Reds have gone 108-89 against the Pirates at the stadium.
Last season, Cincinnati finished 7-6 against Pittsburgh for its first winning season in the rivalry since 2021. And since both teams entered the National League Central in 1994, the Reds are 269-250 against the Pirates, their best record against any divisional opponent over that span.
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Reds Deadline Could Bring Elly De La Cruz The Infield Help He Needs
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