Pirates Complete Sweep of Reds in Epic Pitchers’ Duel; Cruz Comes Through

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Photo provided by Matt Lynch

PITTSBURGH — An epic pitchers’ duel between Pirates’ Braxton Ashcraft and the Reds’ Chase Burns wasn’t settled until both pitchers were out of the game, with Pittsburgh defeating Cincinnati 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park. 

With the win, the Pirates (19-16) completed the weekend sweep of the Reds (20-14).

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Scoring Plays

Bottom 8th, 1-0 PIT: The scoreless tie was finally broken when Oneil Cruz delivered a two-out RBI single to center field off Tony Santillan (1-1). Konnor Griffin, who doubled high off the center field fence, raced home to score.

Key Moments

The Reds had runners on second and third with one out in the eighth following Jose Trevino double off Braxton Ashcraft. Matt McLain hit a tapper to third baseman Nick Gonzales, who threw home to retire Spencer Steer, who broke from third on a contact play.

The Pirates then brought in Gregory Soto (3-0) from the bullpen, and the left-hander struck out TJ Friedl on a 3-2 pitch for the third out of the inning.

Player of the Game

Braxton Ashcraft worked a career-high 7.2 innings and scattered four hits. He walked a pair of batters, struck out six and needed only 82 pitches to get through his outing.

Stat to Know

The Pirates improved to 46-21 (.687) against the Reds at PNC Park since the start of the 2018 season. Sunday’s win gave Pittsburgh its first sweep of Cincinnati at PNC Park since winning all four games from April 20-23, 2023.

Notable Performances

  • Braxton Ashcraft: 7.2 innings, four hits, no runs, two walks, six strikeouts, 82 pitches/56 strikes
  • Oneil Cruz: 2 for 4, one RBI, one steal
  • Konnor Griffin: 1 for 3, one double, one run

Noteworthy

  • Braxton Ashcraft had never exceeded seven innings in his professional career (both minor leagues and majors).
  • Konnor Griffin extended his career-high hit streak to six games with a double in the eighth.
  • Reds starter Chase Burns worked a career-high seven-scoreless innings and struck out seven batters. He now has a 0.45 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against Pittsburgh.

Up Next

The Pirates will travel to Arizona to start a three-game series against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. RHP Bubba Chandler (1-3, 4.97 ERA) will be on the mound for Pittsburgh opposite LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 3.03 ERA). First pitch: 9:40 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh, MLB Network/93.7 The Fan.

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