By Hal McCoy
The Pittsburgh Pirates did everything imaginable to enable the Cincinnati Reds to grab a three-game sweep.
Didn’t happen. The Pirates ripped and rolled to a 9-4 win Sunday afternoon in PNC Park.
There is no proof that magician Harry Houdini was wearing a Reds uniform. After all, he died in 1926.
But the Reds performed more escape acts in one day than Houdini ever performed in one show.
The Pirates filled the bases three times and didn’t score, twice with the bases loaded and no outs and once with the bases loaded and two outs.
Unfortunately for the Reds, the Pirates didn’t need to score over the final four innings because the Reds had two runners aboard in the seventh and two aboard in the eighth and didn’t score when they were only dowb 5-4 at the time.
It was only 5-4 with one out in the eighth when rain arrived and caused a one-hour and five-minute delay.
After the deluge of rain, there was a deluge of Pittsburgh runs when play resumed.
Red pitcher Pierce Johnson started the inning and walked the first two. Then Ryan O’Hearn cranked a three-run home run, his second of the day.
Esmerlyn Valdez followed O’Hearn with a 461-foot home run, his third in the three games, to make it a 9-4 blowout.
In blowout games decided by five or more runs, the Reds are 11-20.
After Reds starter Brady Singer gave up five runs and nine hits over 4 /13 innings, with six strikeouts and no walks, Cincinnati’s bullpen walked eight Pirates.
“There were some ground balls to start innings to get through and then there were some balls that were hit good,” said Reds manager Tito Francona in diagnosing Singer’s start after his record fell to 3-7 and his earned run average climbed to 5.12.
“He worked really hard and I thought he competed like crazy,” Francona added. “It was a lot of work.”
Pittsburgh jumped to a 4-0 lead in the second inning against Reds starter Singer, three coming on a three-run home run hit by former Cincinnati outfielder Tyler Callihan.
The inning progressed when shortstop Elly De La Cruz and second baseman Edwin Arroyo failed to track down a weak ground up the middle by O’Hearn that should have been a double play.
The Reds, though, barged back with two runs in the fourth and two in fifth to tie it, 4-4.
The Reds figured they had the Pirates right where they wanted. The Pirates have blown 23 leads so far this season.
But as soon as the Reds tied it in the top of the fifth, Pittsburgh’s O’Hearn clobbered a 421-foot home run off Singer in the bottom of the fifth to give the Pirates a 5-4 lead.
His three-run home run in the eighth was 47 feet shorter than his 431-footer in the fifth, but it produced three runs while the longer one produced just one.
If the Reds had won to complete a three-game sweep, they would have scrambled into a virtual tie for fourth place in the National League Central with the Pirates.
Instead, they remain in last place, two games behind the fourth-place Pirates and 11 1/2 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. And they are 4-17 against NL Central teams.
The Reds’ next four games are in Milwaukee, beginnng Monday.
Despite the loss, Cincinnati’s three escape acts are worth recounting.
FOURTH INNING: Ty Callihan singled, second baseman Edwin Arroyo booted a double play grounder and Henry Davis bunted for a hit. Bases loaded, no outs.
Konnor Griffin grounded to shortstop and Elly De La Cruz threw home for a force out. Singer struck out Brandon Lowe (0 for 19 for his career against Singer) and Bryce Reynolds grounded to third
SIXTH INNING: Cincinnati Relief pitcher Julian Garcia struck out the first two then was 0-and-2 on Lowe. He then threw 12 straight balls to fill the bases. Rookie Zach McCambrey came in to retire Ryan O’Hearn on a deep fly to right-center.
SEVENTH: McCambry walked the first three, 13 pitches, 12 ball. Bases loaded, no outs. Brock Burke replaced McCambry and went 2-and-0 on Henry Davis, a .146 hitter.
On the 2-and-0 pitch, Davis swung and popped out. Konnor Griffin grounded to third. Sal Stewart stepped on third for a force out and threw home to cut down Esmervyn Valdez.
It was when the Piratess didn’t have the bases loaded was when they did their damage.
The four-run Pittsburgh eighth turned the game into a route and the Reds are now 11-20 in blowout games decided by five or more runs.
Johnson warmed up before the 65-minute rain delay, then had to get ready again.
“That’s very difficult,” said Francona. “It’s a frustrating feeling for me. We didn’t have anything else to do. We were down to an emergency guy, Sam Moll.
“He was going to have to pitch in the ninth if we tied it or went ahead and that’s a bad feeling,” he added.
In addition to the loss, third baseman/designated hitter Eugenio Suarez was hit on the left wrist by a Mitch Keller pitch in the sixth. He stayed in the game as a lump the size of a ping pong ball rose on his wrist.
But when his turn came to bat in the eighth Nathaniel Lowe pinch-hit for him. X-rays were inclusive due to swelling, so Suarez will be re-evaluated Monday in Milwaukee.
Blake Dunn was placed on the injured list prior to the game with a sore elbow and TJ Friedl (.179) was recalled from Triple-A Louisville.
He started in center field, batted eighth, and was 0 for 4 with a ground out and three fly balls.