TODAY’S GAME

Pittsburgh emergency catcher Josh VanMeter had a rough time in his first try behind the plate since he was a teenager, and the Cincinnati Reds took advantage to end a nine-game losing streak, beating the Pirates 9-2 Saturday in the opener of a doubleheader.

Tyler Stephenson fouled a ball hard off VanMeter’s mask, then hit a tiebreaking, bases-loaded double in the eighth inning that fueled a seven-run burst.

The Reds have not scored more than six runs in any game until Saturday afternoon.

Pirates at Reds, 1:40 p.m., Bally Ohio, 1410

Pirates starting catcher Roberto Pérez was helped off the field with a left hamstring injury after falling while rounding second base in the top of the eighth. Backup catcher Andrew Knapp had been ejected by plate umpire Will Little in the bottom of the sixth for chirping from the dugout.

That left VanMeter as the Pirates’ next best option at the plate — recently, the second baseman/outfielder recalled the last time he caught was when he was