Reds Rally Again: Eugenio Suarez Delivers Ninth-Inning Heroics vs. Pirates

The Cincinnati Reds used late-inning heroics on back-to-back nights to win their second straight game, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7 as Cincinnati tries desperately to keep its season alive before the trade deadline.

Eugenio Suarez stepped to the plate in the ninth inning with two outs. Rookie Edwin Arroyo led off third base, while JJ Bleday, the winning run, took his lead off second.

Pirates reliever Gregory Soto worked the count to 2-2 before hurling a 97 mph fastball just below the zone to the veteran third baseman. Using a seemingly defensive swing, Suarez essentially pushed the fastball high in the air, just over the outfield fence, to give the Reds a 9-7 lead.

“It was a big moment for me, for our team, ya know, we’ve been grinding so much and I think it’s time for us to have a good moment like this," Suarez told Jim Day postgame. 

Cincinnati’s dugout, rightfully so, exploded. A group of players that has had so much go against it over the past month, for the second straight night, feels like the ball is finally rolling in its direction as the Reds inch closer to .500 at 39-42.

It was just Suarez’s eighth home run of the season and his first since June 15. Four of his eight home runs have come this month, while he has just a .187 batting average in June and a .209 average on the season. You could say Suarez’s game-winning home run was not a likely scenario when Soto threw that pitch, but then you realize that three of his eight home runs have come with two strikes, according to Baseball Savant.

This all came the night after Noelvi Marte golfed a two-run home run in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie, helping the Reds win 6-4. The ability to get a win over Pirates ace Paul Skenes set the Reds up for success in the series, and they used those same late-inning heroics to take the series in Pittsburgh after just two games.

Chase Petty shut the door in the ninth inning, sealing the victory after Caleb Ferguson and Tejay Antone pitched for the second straight night. Ferguson allowed the Pirates to take a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, yielding a solo home run to Esterlyn Valdez, who homered in back-to-back games.

Chase Burns didn’t have his best outing, allowing five earned runs on nine hits. However, he struck out 10 Pirates hitters and did not issue a walk. Saturday was Burns’ first double-digit strikeout performance of the season and the fifth of his career after recording four games with 10 strikeouts during his rookie season.

The Reds have the chance to respond to getting swept with a sweep of their own on Sunday.