PITTSBURGH — Earlier this homestand, Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague came to Ryan O’Hearn with an observation courtesy of the Pirates’ biomechanics department. His hands were set four inches further away from his body than they should be, Hague said.

O’Hearn made the adjustment. It’s helped, to say the least.

O’Hearn went 3 for 5 with two homers, three runs and four RBIs on Sunday afternoon, leading the Pirates to a 9-4, sweep-averting win against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park. O’Hearn’s second homer, a three-run shot off reliever Pierce Johnson in the eighth inning, came after a one-hour, five-minute rain delay.

“Especially late in the game like that, if I can give us a little breathing room, it feels good,” said O’Hearn, who said he changed out of his soaked uniform and had a coffee and a jelly donut during the delay. “It makes the ninth inning a lot less stressful.”

Esmerlyn Valdez added a 461-foot blast over the Pirates’ bullpen immediately after O’Hearn’s second dinger. He went 3 for 4 with a walk and two RBIs and has now homered in three consecutive games.

The Pirates went 3-3 on the homestand and are now 42-42.

“Obviously, it's been kind of a tough series for us, but to come away with a win today and save the series was good,” O’Hearn said. “The rain delay, felt good to put up some runs there. [Valdez] with a big homer too. Got a win. Just keep it moving.“

The Pirates took a 4-0 lead against Reds starter Brady Singer in the second inning, using big hits from two surprise starting outfielders. After consecutive singles to start the inning from Nick Gonzales and O’Hearn, Valdez brought in Gonzales with a ground-rule double to left. Tyler Callihan followed with a three-run shot to right, clearing the Clemente Wall seats.

Callihan, traded from the Reds in March, admitted it was nice to homer against his former team. He’s proud of the impact he’s made since his callup from Triple-A Indianapolis.

“I think I definitely have the ability to make an impact and just contribute to the team and I’m glad that I’m able to do it,” Callihan said. “I’m glad that I’m getting the opportunities to do it.”

But Mitch Keller couldn’t hold the lead, allowing two in the fourth and two in the fifth to tie it. Brandon Lowe’s error, a Sal Stewart double and JJ Bleday’s two-run single brought the runs in in the fourth, then an RBI double from Tyler Stephenson and an RBI single from Edwin Arroyo tied it.

O’Hearn hit his first homer, a solo shot off Singer in the fifth, to give the Pirates the lead for good. The homer, on a 2-2 cutter at the top of the zone, landed in the top row of the right-field seats.

Carmen Mlodzinski pitched two scoreless innings in relief and presumably would have pitched the ninth if not for the delay. He allowed three singles and a walk, but protected the 5-4 lead until O’Hearn and Valdez could tack on.

It was over when …

… Dennis Santana pitched a scoreless ninth. He walked two amidst a downpour, but kept the Reds from truly starting a rally.

On the mound

Keller largely cruised through the first three innings, facing the minimum after erasing Elly De La Cruz’s leadoff single with a Bleday double play groundout. The second time through proved a challenge.

A Lowe error, on a tricky grounder from De La Cruz, created the opportunity and was followed by hits from Stewart and Bleday. The Reds seemed likely to cut further into the lead, but Henry Davis caught Bleday stealing and Keller struck out the next two batters.

Keller was frustrated by his inability to hold a lead, but grateful for the offense supporting him.

“We're never out of any game,” Keller said. “When we've got a lead and one of us gives it up, like I seem to keep doing when we have a lead, they're right back at it, scoring four more runs. It's been so much fun all season.”

He feels he’s getting into more of a rhythm, as he’s completed six innings in his last two starts and has a 3.64 ERA in his last three. Still, he’s motivated to protect leads better.

“A lot depends on the starters, so if we can have good starts, keep us in the game, we're real bound to get to their bullpen and hopefully do damage,” Keller said. “We've just got to do our job.”

At the plate

Until the eighth, the Pirates continually missed opportunities to tack on. They loaded the bases three times without scoring a run, twice doing so despite loading the bases with no outs.

A single, an error and Davis’ bunt single loaded the bases in the fourth with no outs, but the top three of Konnor Griffin, Lowe and Bryan Reynolds (who walked twice but saw his 17-game hitting streak end) couldn’t advance them.

The Reds bullpen lost command twice, walking six of seven batters in the sixth and seventh innings. But O’Hearn narrowly missed a homer, just getting under a middle-middle cutter for the third out in the sixth, and Davis and Griffin couldn’t convert in the seventh.

The Pirates are 1 for their last 16 with the bases loaded, dating back to June 4. Four Reds relievers combined for eight walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Bucs bites

— On his weekly radio show, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Oneil Cruz is heading down to Florida to begin the next phase of his rehab and ramp up baseball activities. Cruz has been sidelined since June 7 with two non-displaced fractures on his left hand.

— Cherington also said that Spencer Horwitz would be sidelined for “weeks not days.” He expects both Horwitz and Cruz to return at some point in July, though a post-All-Star break return seems more likely.

— Right-hander Wilber Dotel (right lat strain) pitched one inning, instead of a planned two, in a rehab appearance at Double-A Altoona on Saturday. He had a walk and a strikeout. Cherington said the Pirates elected to be careful given Dotel wasn’t feeling his best, but thought it might be “just one of those days.” Dotel was back in Pittsburgh before Sunday’s game, both to be checked out and to determine his next steps.

Up next

The Pirates head east for a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The first game, scheduled at 6:40 p.m. ET Monday, will feature right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (7-3, 3.07 ERA) against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.58).

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