PITTSBURGH – With Hunter Strickland out of the closer’s role and Alexis Díaz burned earlier in a one-run game, the Cincinnati Reds turned to Joel Kuhnel for a save opportunity at PNC Park on Friday.
The move backfired.
Kuhnel blew his second save of the season and Ross Detwiler surrendered the game-winning hit in the Reds’ 5-4 loss to the Pirates in front of a crowd of 17,706. Kevin Newman hit a game-tying RBI double off Kuhnel into the left-center gap with one out in ninth inning and two batters later, Michael Chavis delivered the walk-off heroics with an RBI single off Detwiler.