On a night when the Pittsburgh Pirates needed a spark, they got a fireworks show. Henry Davis launched two home runs, Mitch Keller delivered a masterful performance on the mound, and the Pirates snapped a five-game losing streak with a commanding 9-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on Friday.
It was a game that had fans on their feet early. In the bottom of the first inning, Bryan Reynolds set the tone with a thunderous two-out home run to center field off Reds starter Brady Singer. The 443-foot blast, which bounced off the batter's eye, gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead and signaled that the Pirates were ready to break out of their slump.
Reynolds wasn't done. In the third inning, he drove in his second run of the night with a triple to right field. Ryan O'Hearn followed with a two-out single, extending the lead to 3-0 and putting the Pirates (17-16) firmly in control.
The fourth inning saw Henry Davis make his mark. The young slugger crushed his first home run of the season, a solo shot to center off Singer, pushing the lead to 4-0. Then came the fifth inning, and the Pirates' bats erupted. Marcell Ozuna joined the party with a two-run home run to straightaway center off reliever Zach Maxwell. Later in the same frame, Davis struck again, launching a two-run homer to left field—his second of the game—making it 8-0.
The Reds (20-12) finally broke through against Keller in the sixth inning. TJ Friedl led off with a double and later scored on an Elly De La Cruz groundout, cutting the deficit to 8-1. But any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished. In the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded and two outs, Konnor Griffin drew a walk against Pierce Johnson, forcing in a run to restore the eight-run cushion.
Keller (3-1) was the story on the mound, tossing a gem and keeping Cincinnati's potent lineup at bay for most of the night. His performance, combined with the power surge from Davis and company, gave the Pirates a much-needed boost as they look to build momentum in the series.
