Eugenio Suárez hits 3-run homer in 9th as Reds rally for 9-7 win over Pirates

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Eugenio Suárez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning that rallied the Cincinnati Reds to a 9-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

Trying to protect a one-run lead, Gregory Soto (4-2) let the first two Reds batters reach safely in the ninth before getting Sal Stewart to ground into a double play. Soto then walked JJ Bleday in front of Suárez, who drove a 2-2 sinker below the strike zone 344 feet the other way to right field.

Chase Petty retired the side in order in the ninth for his first major league save.

Suárez's homer came after Esmerlyn Valdéz put Pittsburgh ahead 7-6 with a pinch-hit homer off Caleb Ferguson (1-0) in the eighth.

The Reds led three times and trailed twice. They were in front 2-0 and 6-4 before going up for good in the ninth. The Pirates went on top 4-2 in the fourth.

Stewart produced Cincinnati's first two runs. After a 36-minute rain delay, he sent a fastball from Jared Jones 372 feet over the right-field wall in the first inning for his team-leading 15th homer. In the third, Stewart drove in Jose Trevino with a two-out single that pushed third baseman Nick Gonzales to the edge of the infield ahead of an errant throw to first.

Brandon Lowe gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead in the third with a three-run homer.

Endy Rodríguez doubled in the fourth and scored on Jared Triolo’s two-out single for a 4-2 lead.

Edwin Arroyo hit an RBI double for the Reds in the fifth and scored on Lowe's fielding error at second base with two outs, tying it 4-all.

Jones went 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) and four hits.

Trevino put Cincinnati back ahead 6-4 by sneaking a two-run single through the right side in the sixth.

Reds ace Chase Burns was pulled after giving up a leadoff double to Triolo in the seventh. Triolo scored on Lowe's sacrifice fly.

Burns was charged with five runs and nine hits in six-plus innings. He struck out 10.

Ryan O’Hearn tied it 6-all with a two-out RBI single off Sam Moll later in the seventh.

Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (5-5, 4.89 ERA) starts the series finale Sunday against RHP Brady Singer (3-6, 4.81).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Pittsburgh Pirates' Brandon Lowe (5) celebrates with Jared Triolo (19) and Jake Mangum (28) after they all scored on his three-run home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gregory Soto reacts to giving up a three-run home run to Cincinnati Reds' Eugenio Suárez during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Cincinnati Reds' Eugenio Suárez celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gregory Soto during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Cincinnati Reds' Eugenio Suárez, right, celebrates with third base coach Willie Harris (99) as he rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gregory Soto during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Cincinnati Reds' Eugenio Suárez (28) celebrates with Noelvi Marte (4) as he returns to the dugout after hitting a three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gregory Soto during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine President Javier Milei’s Cabinet chief and close ally, Manuel Adorni, resigned Saturday following a corruption scandal that has roiled the libertarian government, undermining its flagship campaign pledge to stamp out endemic graft in the political elite.

The departure of Adorni — who, as Milei’s former spokesperson, emerged in 2023 as the face of his harsh austerity program and anti-corruption drive — costs the president one of his most trusted and longtime aides.

A political outsider like the president, Adorni became a lightning rod for criticism in recent months as revelations about his extravagant spending and real estate purchases dominated headlines. Milei named Adorni Cabinet chief last year, giving him huge influence over negotiations with governors and other stakeholders in Congress.

Federal prosecutors are investigating Adorni for illicit enrichment stemming from alleged excesses of the sort that Milei, and Adorni himself, regularly criticized Argentina’s left-leaning populist opposition. Adorni denies wrongdoing.

“For the first time since December 10, 2023, I am going against your wishes,” Adorni wrote in his resignation letter to Milei that he posted to social media, referring to the date that Milei entered office. “Thank you for always trusting me and thank you for supporting me through this unjust, painful and exhausting process for me and my family.”

So far, Milei has defended his Cabinet chief, even as the scandal damaged his government’s public image, constrained his political leverage in negotiations with allies and undermined his communication about spending cuts to Argentines scraping by on salaries that increasingly fall behind inflation.

“Manuel is innocent,” Milei told local media in Spain during his visit there last week. “I stand by my ministers to the bitter end.”

Milei’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Adorni’s letter.

His sister and top adviser, Karina Milei, thanked Adori for his “tireless work” and described him as an “upright, valuable and much-loved” member of their libertarian party.

Adorni’s private life first drew scrutiny in March when his wife, who doesn’t work in government, accompanied him on the presidential aircraft for a conference in New York.

Days later, footage surfaced showing him and his family flying on a private jet to Uruguay’s elite Punta del Este beach resort. Local media reported that he bought two properties since Milei took office — a Buenos Aires apartment and weekend house outside the city. Images emerged of him on other luxury vacations, including an all-cash trip to Aruba. According his public financial disclosures, Adorni earned a monthly salary of around $2,600 until late last year.

When confronted by lawmakers and journalists, Adorni has struggled to explain the inconsistency between his lavish spending and modest salary.

For weeks he maintained he had not committed any crime. But as pressure mounted earlier this month, he admitted to buying dollars in Argentina’s black market and hiding $500,000 in savings from tax authorities — a technically illegal, albeit hugely widespread, offense in crisis-prone Argentina that largely goes unprosecuted. Adorni insisted the money was earned legitimately including through cryptocurrency investments.

It remains unclear who will replace him as Cabinet chief.

FILE - Argentina's President Javier Milei, right, embraces Manuel Adorni, a contender in the upcoming elections for the Buenos Aires city legislature, during the closing campaign rally in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)