This was also a rubber match of sorts — the Reds had taken the previous two meetings from Pittsburgh, including a wild 8-7 comeback win two nights earlier, so there was a real chance for Cincinnati to keep the mojo going on its own turf.
Instead, Ashcraft flipped the script. Pittsburgh broke through for 3 runs in the third off Abbott — Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez each drove one in via walks, with Nick Gonzales chipping in an RBI on a fielder's choice — and Henry Davis tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single in the sixth. Ashcraft was stingy all night, allowing just a Jose Trevino solo homer in the fifth, and Gregory Soto slammed the door by striking out Eugenio Suárez to close it out.
The final margin — Pirates 4, Reds 1, with Pittsburgh out-hitting Cincinnati 6-3 — was as clean a bounce-back as the Bucs could've scripted. With the deadline looming Monday, a start like this from Ashcraft is exactly the kind of signal that keeps front-office types leaning toward buying rather than selling on this roster.