PITTSBURGH – Luis Castillo left the mound to hugs from his infielders during the sixth inning Friday, but it was the Pittsburgh Pirates who were celebrating at the end of the night with a high-five line.
The Pirates scored eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against a trio of relievers after the Cincinnati Reds tied the game in the previous half-inning and the Reds were handed a 9-2 loss at PNC Park to open their final series of the 2021 season.
It was a nightmare eighth inning for Reds pitchers. Amir Garrett allowed groundball singles to two of the three batters he faced. Michael Lorenzen didn’t record an out against his five batters (three singles, two walks), which included a missed catch by Tyler Stephenson in left field during his outfield debut.
Pirates leadoff hitter Cole Tucker put the exclamation point on the inning when he hammered a grand slam on the first pitch he saw from Dauri Moreta.
