The Cincinnati Reds are staring down the most crucial stretch of their 2025 campaign, hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game showdown at Great American Ball Park that could very well decide their postseason fate. After a gut-wrenching 4-2 loss to the Pirates on September 23, the Reds find themselves one game out of the National League’s final wild card spot, trailing the New York Mets, who staged a dramatic comeback win against the Cubs. With just five games left in the regular season, every pitch, every swing, every defensive gem now carries the weight of October dreams—or heartbreak.
Tuesday night’s defeat was a tough pill to swallow for Cincinnati fans. The Reds entered the contest riding a season-high five-game winning streak, tied with the Mets for the last wild card berth and holding the head-to-head tiebreaker at 4-2. But all that momentum came crashing down in a wild second inning. The Pirates, languishing at the bottom of the division, pounced on Reds starter Brady Singer. Jack Suwinski doubled and scored on Nick Yorke’s single before Yorke himself raced home on Alexander Canario’s double. Then, Oneil Cruz, the Pirates’ electrifying shortstop, launched his 20th home run of the season—a two-run shot that put Pittsburgh up 4-0 before the dust had settled.
The Reds, to their credit, punched right back in the bottom half of the frame. Elly De La Cruz, who had snapped a 43-game homerless streak just days earlier, belted a two-run homer off Johan Oviedo to narrow the gap to 4-2. But that’s where the scoring stopped. The Pirates’ bullpen, led by rookie Hunter Barco—who earned his first major league win by extinguishing a sixth-inning threat—shut the door. Dennis Santana locked up his 15th save, aided by a trio of inning-ending double plays that stifled any hope of a late Reds rally.
“We had our chances, but their bullpen made the big pitches when it mattered most,” said a visibly frustrated Reds manager after the game, echoing the sentiments of a fanbase desperate for their first postseason berth since 2020. The defeat marked the fourth time this season the Reds’ longest winning streak had been capped at five games. Consistency, it seems, has been as elusive as October baseball in Cincinnati.
Now, the focus shifts to the remaining two games against Pittsburgh, with the Reds’ playoff hopes hanging in the balance. The stakes could hardly be higher, and tonight’s pitching matchup promises a classic duel. Hunter Greene takes the mound for Cincinnati, sporting a 7-4 record and a 2.74 ERA—numbers nearly identical to his breakout 2024 campaign. Greene is coming off a dazzling complete-game, one-hit shutout against the Cubs and has already blanked the Pirates for seven innings earlier this season.
Opposing him is Paul Skenes, the Pirates’ rookie phenom and a frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award. Skenes enters with a 10-10 record and a sparkling 2.03 ERA, having dominated the Reds in his lone prior start against them with six scoreless frames. While he’s coming off a rare rough outing versus the Cubs, his September ERA sits at a sterling 1.84, thanks to two previous scoreless starts, including six shutout innings against the Dodgers.
Given the arms on display, it’s little wonder that oddsmakers are predicting another low-scoring affair. The consensus leans toward a tight contest, with the Reds holding a slight edge due to their deeper lineup and recent offensive form. Still, Pittsburgh’s ability to play spoiler—evident in Tuesday’s upset—should not be underestimated. The Pirates have thrived in the underdog role, winning 45 of 109 games as betting dogs this season, and their recent 4-6 mark belies a pitching staff that’s posted a 2.97 ERA over the last ten games.
Offensively, the Reds are led by Elly De La Cruz, who’s caught fire at just the right time. De La Cruz boasts a team-high .266 batting average, 21 home runs, and 85 RBIs, and he’s riding a four-game hitting streak into tonight’s contest. Over his last five games, he’s batting .429 with two home runs and three RBIs. Spencer Steer has matched De La Cruz in home runs, while T.J. Friedl and Austin Hays have provided steady production in the lineup. For the Pirates, Bryan Reynolds anchors the offense with a .243 average and 73 RBIs, while Oneil Cruz’s 20 homers lead the team. Andrew McCutchen and Spencer Horwitz have chipped in with timely hits and solid on-base numbers.
The starting lineups for tonight’s pivotal game are set. For Pittsburgh, it’s Oneil Cruz in center field, followed by Jared Triolo at third, Bryan Reynolds in right, Spencer Horwitz at first, Andrew McCutchen as the designated hitter, Tommy Pham in left, Nick Gonzales at shortstop, Nick Yorke at second, and Henry Davis behind the plate. Paul Skenes gets the ball. The Reds counter with T.J. Friedl in center, Noelvi Marte in right, Gavin Lux as the DH, Spencer Steer at first, Elly De La Cruz at short, Sal Stewart at third, Tyler Stephenson catching, Will Benson in left, and Matt McLain at second. Hunter Greene will toe the rubber.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Eastern, with coverage available on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, and streaming via MLB.TV for out-of-market viewers. Radio listeners in Cincinnati can tune in to 700 WLW or the Reds Radio Network for all the action.
The Reds, favored on the moneyline and holding a 4-6 record against the spread in their last ten games, need every edge they can muster. Their recent offensive surge—4.3 runs per game with 16 homers in the last ten contests—will be put to the test against Skenes and a Pirates bullpen that’s found its groove. Meanwhile, the Pirates have proven they can hang with anyone, winning two of their last five games as underdogs and keeping games close with strong pitching.
After the Pirates series, Cincinnati heads to Milwaukee for a three-game set to close the regular season. But for now, all eyes are on Great American Ball Park, where the Reds’ postseason hopes are alive but precarious. Will Greene deliver another masterpiece? Can De La Cruz and company break through against Skenes? The answers are coming soon, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
With just days left in the regular season and the playoff race tighter than ever, one thing is certain: every moment counts. The drama continues tonight in Cincinnati, with the Reds fighting to keep their October dreams alive and the Pirates relishing the role of spoiler. Stay tuned—this one’s far from over.
