PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Ryan O’Hearn homered twice and drove in four runs, Esmerlyn Valdez added a home run and three hits, and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 9-4 on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.

O’Hearn’s second homer of the game, a three-run blast in the eighth inning, broke open a one-run contest and capped a four-run outburst that put the game out of reach. Valdez followed with a solo shot in the same inning as Pittsburgh salvaged the finale of a three-game series after dropping the first two.

Mitch Keller earned the win for the Pirates, allowing five hits and three earned runs over six innings with four strikeouts and one walk. He improved to 6-5. Brady Singer took the loss for Cincinnati, falling to 3-7 after giving up five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and issued one walk.

Pittsburgh snapped a two-game losing streak and evened its record at 42-42. The Reds fell to 39-43. Attendance was 24,203. The game lasted 2 hours, 58 minutes with a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.

Cincinnati struck first in the top of the first when Elly De La Cruz singled sharply to left field. But Sal Stewart flew out to right, and JJ Bleday grounded into a double play to end the inning. Pittsburgh went down in order in the bottom of the first.

The Pirates erupted in the second. Nick Gonzales singled, and O’Hearn singled to put runners at first and third. Valdez then hit a ground-rule double to left, scoring Gonzales. Tyler Callihan followed with a three-run homer to right, his third of the season, driving home O’Hearn and Valdez to tie the game at 4-4. Jake Mangum struck out, Henry Davis struck out, and Konnor Griffin singled before Brandon Lowe struck out on a foul tip to end the inning.

Both teams were retired in order in the third.

Cincinnati regained the lead in the fourth. De La Cruz reached on a fielding error by Lowe. Stewart doubled sharply to right, sending De La Cruz to third. Bleday then singled to center, scoring both runners to put the Reds ahead 6-4. But Keller retired the next two batters on strikeouts.

Pittsburgh missed a chance to answer in the fourth. Callihan singled, and Mangum reached on a fielder’s choice that also advanced Callihan to second on an error by second baseman Edwin Arroyo. Henry Davis bunted for a single to load the bases. Griffin grounded into a force out at home, with Callihan cut down at the plate. Lowe struck out, and Bryan Reynolds grounded out to end the threat.

The Reds added two more in the fifth. Noelvi Marte walked, and Tyler Stephenson doubled sharply to left, scoring Marte. TJ Friedl lined out, but Arroyo singled to right, scoring Stephenson. De La Cruz grounded into a double play to end the inning, leaving Cincinnati ahead 8-4.

Pittsburgh pulled within one in the bottom of the fifth. After Gonzales flew out, O’Hearn homered to right, his 12th of the season. Valdez singled sharply to center, but Callihan grounded into a force out and Mangum flew out, leaving the score 8-5.

Keller worked a 1-2-3 top of the sixth, and the Pirates loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning. Henry Davis struck out, Griffin struck out, then Lowe and Reynolds walked, and Gonzales walked to load them up. O’Hearn flew out sharply to right to end the inning.

Pittsburgh’s bullpen took over in the seventh. Carmen Mlodzinski replaced Keller and retired the Reds in order. The Pirates again threatened in the bottom of the seventh. Valdez walked, Callihan walked, and Mangum walked to load the bases with no outs. Henry Davis popped out to shortstop on the infield fly rule, and Griffin grounded into a double play, with Valdez thrown out at home and Callihan out at third.

Mlodzinski stayed on for the eighth and allowed a single to Stewart and a walk to Bleday before Nathaniel Lowe flew out, Spencer Steer flew out, and Marte grounded out to keep the score 8-5.

The Pirates broke the game open in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Reynolds walked, Gonzales walked, and O’Hearn blasted his second homer of the game, a three-run shot to right-center, his 13th. Valdez followed with a solo homer to left-center, his fifth, to make it 12-5.

Mlodzinski finished with two scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out one. Julian Garcia pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings for Cincinnati with two strikeouts.

Cincinnati went quietly in the ninth. Stephenson walked, Friedl flew out, Arroyo struck out, De La Cruz walked, and Stewart grounded into a force out to end the game.

O’Hearn finished 3 for 5 with two homers and four RBIs. Valdez went 3 for 4 with a homer, a double and two RBIs. Callihan had two hits, including his first-inning homer, and drove in three. For the Reds, Bleday had two hits and two RBIs, and Arroyo had two hits and an RBI.

Cincinnati won the first two games of the series, 9-7 on Saturday and 6-4 on Friday. The Reds next travel to Milwaukee for a four-game series starting Monday. The Pirates head to Philadelphia for a four-game set beginning Monday.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Pittsburgh 6, Cincinnati 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Pittsburgh a 53.20 percent probability to win. The Pirates entered as a pregame favorite at -1.5. The total of 13 runs went under the over/under line of 9.5.