The Cincinnati Reds were defeated by a final score of 17-7 on Saturday. It was not a good game for the Red to say the least. The ball club never had much of a chance after Rhett Lowder turned in an abysmal start.

The right-handed hurler exited in the second inning after surrendering eight earned runs. He walked four hitters and struck out only one in the outing. The bullpen did not help matters, as nine more runs came across to score in the game.

Cincinnati's lineup performed well in the defeat. Seven runs will often place the Reds in a position to win, but that was not the case on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh .

For the Pirates, Marcell Ozuna recorded three hits and three RBIs in the game. Ryan O'Hearn added three hits as well. However, Konnor Griffin had one of the best games of his professional career, as he finished the contest with four hits in five at-bats.

Lowder's ERA now sits at 5.09 for the 2026 MLB season. He is still a pitcher with a high ceiling, but the '26 campaign clearly has not gone according to plan. However, Lowder has pitched better than the ERA suggests. He has only given up more than three runs one other time this season.

Cincinnati still believes in Lowder. There is no denying the fact that Saturday's outing was a difficult start, but he is more than capable of getting back on track. Even the best pitchers throughout the history of the game have had a few abysmal starts in their careers.

Reds Hoping to Bounce Back After Brutal Defeat

It has been an extremely challenging series in Pittsburgh so far for Cincinnati. The Reds were defeated 9-1 on Friday and 17-7 on Saturday as mentioned. The Pirates are swinging their bats well at the moment without question.

While the Reds have already dropped the series, they can still avoid a sweep with a win on Sunday. Chase Burns (3-1, 2.65 ERA) will have the task of trying to quiet the Pirates' bats on Sunday afternoon. It looks like a daunting challenge at the moment given how the first two games have gone, but Burns is in the middle of a strong season.

First pitch for the final game of the series between the Reds and Pirates is scheduled for 1:35 PM EST as Cincinnati hopes to bounce back as soon as possible.