O’Hearn’s two-homer barrage powers Pirates past struggling Reds

The Pittsburgh Pirates reminded everyone on Sunday why baseball games aren’t decided in the first four innings, absolutely demolishing the Cincinnati Reds 9-4 at PNC Park in a performance that was part offensive clinic, part pitching meltdown by Cincinnati starter Brady Singer.

This wasn’t close. This wasn’t competitive. This was the Pirates flexing on a Reds team that looked thoroughly overmatched, and the story of the game belonged entirely to one man: Ryan O'Hearn, who went nuclear with two home runs and four RBIs in a day that will live in Pirates fans’ memory as a masterclass in middle-order thunder.

O’Hearn Takes Over the Game

Let’s be honest here. O’Hearn wasn’t just good on Sunday. He was absolutely relentless. His first blast came in the fifth inning, a solo shot that punctuated a Reds team already in free fall. But that was merely an appetizer. In the eighth inning, with the Pirates already in command, O’Hearn unloaded again, this time with Reynolds and Gonzales on base, pushing Pittsburgh’s lead to an insurmountable 9-4 and essentially putting a fork in any hope Cincinnati harbored of a comeback.

Three hits in five at-bats. Two home runs. Four RBIs. This is what a franchise player looks like when he’s locked in. The Reds had no answer for him whatsoever. None.

Pirates’ Firepower Overwhelms Cincinnati

But O’Hearn wasn’t alone in his assault on Reds pitching. Esmerlyn Valdez added his own home run in the eighth, a 461-foot moonshot that reminded everyone that Pittsburgh’s lineup isn’t a one-man show. Valdez finished with three hits, including an earlier ground-rule double that sparked a second-inning rally. Tyler Callihan, meanwhile, launched a three-run bomb in that same second frame that set the tone early and often.

Four home runs for Pittsburgh. Four. Cincinnati’s pitching staff, led by Singer, couldn’t locate, couldn’t establish any rhythm, and paid the price dearly. Singer lasted just 4.1 innings, giving up nine hits and five earned runs while striking out six. It was an ugly outing from a pitcher who should’ve been sharper than that.

Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh’s starter, was the beneficiary of all this offensive generosity. He surrendered three runs across six innings but got the win because his team spotted him a lead so large that even mediocre pitching looked serviceable. He struck out four and walked just one, proof that when your bats are doing the heavy lifting, your pitcher can afford to be merely adequate.

Cincinnati’s lineup tried to make noise. JJ Bleday singled in two runs in the fourth. Tyler Stephenson doubled in a run in the fifth. Edwin Arroyo added an RBI single moments later. But none of it mattered. It was background noise in what was really a Pirates showcase.

This is what separation looks like in June. This is what happens when one team has its offensive timing dialed in and the other team’s pitcher can’t find the strike zone. Pittsburgh dominated on Sunday and made Cincinnati look like they didn’t belong on the same field. Sometimes baseball isn’t complicated. Sometimes it’s just about one team hitting and another team failing to pitch. The Pirates won that battle decisively, and the scoreboard told the entire story.