The Cincinnati Reds just learned a tough lesson: you can't win 'em all, especially the close ones. For the first time this season, they were swept in a series, falling 1-0 to the Pittsburgh Pirates and dropping to 12-1 in games decided by two or fewer runs. It was a heartbreaker that turned what should have been a triumphant flight to Chicago into a quiet, 90-minute journey of what-ifs.

After two blowout losses where Reds starters barely lasted a combined 4⅓ innings, rookie sensation Chase Burns delivered the performance of his young career. He carried a shutout into the eighth inning, allowing just three singles—only two of which even reached the outfield grass. It was the kind of gem that usually guarantees a win.

But baseball is a cruel game. Burns was pulled after a leadoff single, and reliever Tony Santillan promptly induced a double play to clear the bases. The crowd in Pittsburgh barely had time to exhale before disaster struck. A double off the centerfield wall by 20-year-old Konnor Griffin, followed by a walk, set the stage for Oneil Cruz's single to center. That lone run was all the Pirates needed to seal the sweep.

The Reds had been perfect in one-run games until now—12-0, a remarkable streak that felt almost inevitable. Now they head to Chicago for a four-game series against the division-leading Cubs, their first meeting of the season. It's a chance to shake off the sting of Pittsburgh and prove that this team can bounce back from its first real taste of close-game heartbreak.