Brandon Williamson struggles in 1st start since 2024 as Reds lose
In his first start back from Tommy John surgery, Cincinnati Reds LHP Brandon Williamson struggled in a loss to the Pirates.
He waited 560 mostly grueling, sometimes painful days to get back on a big-league mound in a regular-season game, the kind of career gap that kept Brandon Williamson single-minded about the only thing that mattered to him all spring. "I just want to be healthy and play ball again," the Cincinnati Reds left-hander said repeatedly during those six weeks in Arizona. Mission accomplished.
Even if Williamson has to wait at least six more days until he pitches the Reds to victory. Williamson, who missed all of last season recovering from 2024 Tommy John surgery, struggled out of the gate in his season debut as the Reds' fifth starter, pitching around traffic in the first, then giving up a big second inning that tagged him with an 8-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park. After the first three reached to load the bases in the second, Williamson gave up a sacrifice fly and back-to-back two-out home runs – a three-run shot to right by Ryan O'Hearn followed by Bryan Reynolds' homer to left – to put the Reds in an early 5-0 hole.
But Williamson settled down enough to nearly get the Reds through five innings, retiring nine of 10 after the consecutive homers – albeit, the one he didn't retire, Oneil Cruz, hitting the ball over the fence in right (he added a two-run shot in the ninth). The Reds came back with back-to-back homers of their own in the eighth, both solo shots by Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart. Eugenio Suárez and pinch-hitter Dane Myers followed with back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners and bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out.
But Noelvi Marte popped to short, and pinch-hitter Nathaniel Lowe's soft liner toward right on a 3-2 pitch was gloved by diving second baseman Brandon Lowe, who was able to easily toss to first to double off Myers, who was nearly to second base. The loss snapped the Reds' three-game winning streak ahead of Wednesday's pitching matchup between Reds All-Star Andrew Abbott and Pirates Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Brandon Williamson struggles in 1st start since 2024 as Reds lose