Pirates Fall Short in Slugfest Despite Skenes Edge

Well, that stings. The Reds walked it off 8-7 in a game that proved Paul Skenes' arm isn't enough when your bullpen decides to cosplay as batting practice. We laid -132 on Pittsburgh banking on Skenes' decisive advantage over Hunter Greene — a guy making his season debut after elbow surgery with a bloated 7.06 ERA. The logic was bulletproof on paper.

Turns out Greene's rust didn't matter when both offenses showed up swinging lumber like it was Home Run Derby. This one turned into an absolute track meet, and while Skenes did his part keeping Pittsburgh competitive, the Reds had enough firepower at home to outlast the Bucs in what became a back-and-forth barnburner. Cincinnati's lineup exploited every mistake the Pirates' relievers offered, and in a game that tight, one extra mistake is all it takes.

The walk-off finish in an 8-7 game means our Pirates pick goes down as a MISS. Sometimes the better starter loses — that's baseball. But when you're laying juice on a road favorite and the game turns into a shootout, you need every break. Pittsburgh didn't get them. Greene's return wasn't the liability we expected, and the Reds' bats made sure the home crowd went home happy. Tough beat.