Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds

With the Pirates amid a four-game losing streak, they’d take a win any way they could. Even if that meant waiting through a one-hour and 46-minute rain delay in the sixth inning. Pittsburgh played all nine and returned to the win column Saturday night with a 4-1 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park. On a day when the Pirates upgraded their pitching with the addition of Camilo Doval, the same staff dominated. Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft twirled five innings of one-run baseball before Carmen Mlodzinski extended the dominance with three scoreless innings after the rain delay. Gregory Soto closed the door in the ninth to get his 14th save. While Ashcraft returned to the form that made him an All-Star after a few rough outings, it was Mlodzinski’s performance in relief, all after the delay, that stole the show. The starter turned reliever threw on two days' rest for the second consecutive outing, a key step in how Pittsburgh can utilize him as a bullpen weapon more often down the stretch. “So far, so good,” Mlodzinski said. “Definitely credit to the staff for, in a sense, kind of easing me into it. They haven't thrown me on one day rest yet, haven't done a back-to-back yet, but the goal is to try to be as available as possible down the stretch here. I know there's definitely value in eating up some innings in leverage spots, but I think there's going to be some serious value in bouncing back quicker and being available more for the team.” The rainy conditions helped Pittsburgh grab the first lead of the day early. Reds starter Andrew Abbott struggled to find a grip in the third inning, walking four batters in the frame plus allowing a single to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 advantage. Nick Gonzales put the ball in play to add another run in the inning on a fielder’s choice. Meanwhile, Ashcraft had no trouble navigating Cincinnati’s lineup. He didn’t allow a hit until Nathaniel Lowe’s fourth-inning single, and Ashcraft walked just one batter his first time through the order while striking out four. The Reds cut into their deficit in the fifth with a solo shot to right field from Jose Trevino. Though Ashcraft responded with three quick outs to make it an official game as the rain moved in and out of the stadium. Ashcraft said while he’s still working on his slider command, his curveball felt back to form.