Gregory Soto loses a bullpen game in Cincinnati and the Pirates fall back to .500

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul 30, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CINCINNATI — The Pirates’ bullpen game failed in its final leg.

Four Pirates relievers combined for eight innings of two-run ball, but Nathaniel Lowe’s bases-loaded fielder’s choice off Gregory Soto earned the Cincinnati Reds a 3-2 win on Thursday night at Great American Ball Park.

Elly De La Cruz scored the winning run. He went 3 for 4 with three doubles, stole two bases, scored twice and drove in a run.

Gregory Soto allowed a De La Cruz double and two walks (one intentional) in the ninth.

The Pirates have now lost three in a row. They are 55-55.

Yohan Ramirez made his first career start (in his 209th major league appearance). He threw two scoreless innings, allowing a walk and a double and striking out four.

Hunter Barco walked a tightrope. He allowed two runs on his first three batters in the third — Matt McLain singled, De La Cruz hit an RBI double and then scored on Sal Stewart’s RBI single — but no further damage. He allowed five hits and walked three in three innings, yet allowed just the two runs.

Endy Rodriguez had a big part in that, catching two runners stealing. He also stole two bases on the offensive side, finishing the game 1 for 2 with a walk.

Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder mowed down the Pirates through four innings before the bats settled in. Nick Gonzales led off the fifth with a double and scored on Jacob Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly, then Brandon Lowe started the sixth with a first-pitch homer.

Right-hander Noah Murdock made his Pirates debut in the sixth and worked his way out of trouble. He battled command and started the frame by allowing a walk and a Dane Myers single but struck out the next two batters before inducing an inning-ending, De La Cruz groundout.

He was pushed for the seventh, loaded the bases on two walks and a single, then escaped as a Gonzales backhand started a 5-4-3 double play.

Mason Montgomery threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning, the first 1-2-3 inning of the game for the Pirates. He threw seven pitches, all strikes, and struck out two batters. However, Soto was the one trusted for the ninth.

It was over when …

Nathaniel Lowe beat Brandon Lowe’s desperate throw from second in the ninth. The Pirates had little chance to turn two on a soft grounder up the middle.

On the mound

Five Pirates combined to allow nine hits and nine walks, including an intentional walk in the ninth.

The Reds went 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position.

At the plate

Gonzales went 2 for 4 with a double, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games. He’s hitting .384 (38 for 99) in July. No Pirate has had more hits in a month since Adam Frazier had 40 in May 2021.

Esmerlyn Valdez went 1 for 4 with an eighth-inning double. Don Kelly elected to bring in Billy Cook to pinch-run for him, but Ryan O’Hearn and Gonzales were unable to advance him.

Bucs bites

— Left-hander Evan Sisk (left elbow inflammation) made his first rehab appearance for Triple-A Indianapolis, throwing a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts on 10 pitches.

— Jhostynxon Garcia went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. Both of his strikeouts were on three pitches, one of them coming after left-hander Brock Burke walked consecutive hitters in the seventh. He had a check-swing single in the ninth.

Up next

The Pirates and Reds will continue their four-game series on Friday at 6:10 p.m. Right-hander Paul Skenes (9-9, 3.65 ERA) will face Reds right-hander Hunter Greene (2-2, 7.06).