Luke Weaver hit hard early, Reds fall to Pirates 4-3 in series opener

Connor Joe socked a 3-run homer off Cincinnati Reds righty Luke Weaver in the Bottom of the 1st inning, and Jack Suwinski followed with a solo shot of his own in the next PA. That 4-run inning proved to be the entirety of the Pittsburgh Pirates offense on the night, but was good enough to fend off the pesky Reds late in a 4-3 loss for Cincinnati.

If you’re keeping track, that’s just 4 wins in their last 15 games for the Redlegs. It’s hard to remember the last time they exhibited such futility in an April streak...

Weaver’s rocky first IP aside, he settled in well. He held Pirates hitters to just 1 for 22 following those back to back jacks, and finished with a final line of 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K on 93 pitches. Alas, the early damage was enough to send this one to the L side of the ledger, and the Reds have now slipped to just 7-12 on the season.

That’s last place in the NL Central, still.

Tony Graphanino

[Link to interactive FanGraphs WPA chart & box score]

Other Notes

• Jonathan India went 3 for 4 with a double, run scored, and a ribbie, and that was good enough for tonight’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game.
• The Reds will turn to Graham Ashcraft to stop the skid tomorrow, with Friday evening’s start time set for 6:35 PM ET. He’ll be opposed by Pirates starter Mitch Keller.
• Tunes.