Pirates Show Offensive Potential With Seven-Run Outburst
After weeks of seeing almost no offense from the middle of the Pirates lineup, the team broke out for seven runs in their 7-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Josh Bell, Bryan Reynolds, and Colin Moran combined to go 8-11 while driving in four of the team's seven runs in the win. The offense showed a glimpse of what they could be and gave starter Chad Kuhl his first win of the 2020 season. It was an effort that the offense desperately needed after dropping seven of their last eight games where the offense was held almost stagnant. The big performance of the day was by Bryan Reynolds, who went 3-4 with all four RBI from the middle of the order.
So, can this offense be sustained over a length of time? If it can the Pirates have a chance to get back on track and see some success over the final month of the season. It is also important for the Pirates if they want to rebuild and get the most value out of some of their top trade pieces. We are going to take a look at last night's performance and see how each of Pittsburgh's three power hitters performed. All three had breakout games for this season and all three now have their batting averages over the .200 mark. With the middle of the Pirates order on track, this offense could become that much more potent.
Bryan Reynolds: 3-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI:
The Player of the game yesterday, and the main reason the Pirates won the ball game, was Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds had two of the biggest hits in the game, starting the offense and securing the win later in the game. With his team trailing 1-0 in the second inning, Reynolds launched his second home run of the season into the right-center field seats to tie the game at 1-1. He got ahead in the count 2-1 before Brewers starter Adrian Houser left a sinker up in the zone and Reynolds took advantage. He added an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth before he came in with two on and two out in the bottom of the eighth. He would line a 2-2 pitch into the left-center field gap for a two-RBI triple that would extend the Pirates lead to 6-2.
It was Reynold's best game of the season by far and helped raise his average to .205, getting him over the .200 mark for the first time this season. It was only a matter of time for Reynolds to figure it out, as he has hit .300 or better at every level of the Minor Leagues. He burst onto the scene in 2019 hitting .314 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI. He finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting and won the starting left fielders job now and for the future. With guys like Jared Oliva coming up through the system, Reynolds may be the guy the Pirates can build around. He has plenty of good years left in him, at just the age of 25, and he may prove to make the Andrew McCutchen trade of 2018 worth it.
Josh Bell: 2-3, 1 BB
When we previewed this series yesterday, our key to victory was Josh Bell having a breakout series. He started the three-game stretch off right going 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the win. He helped give the Pirates their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth. He had a leadoff single and two batters later, he came around to score on a Reynolds RBI single. It was a similar recipe for success in the bottom of the eighth inning when Bell singled once again to start the inning. Two batters later Bell was on second and came around to score on Reynold's RBI Triple that secured the Pirates victory.
With the top of the lineup struggling at times this season, Bell has had to be the one to set the table. He did just that yesterday and showed something he hasn't shown in a while, patience. It started right from his first at-bat of the day when he took a five-pitch walk. He got ahead in the count 3-0 before eventually drawing a walk on the 3-1 pitch. He saw at least three pitches in three of his four plate appearances and was able to be patient at the plate. Bell hasn't had a lot of protection in the lineup and that has caused him to not get any pitches to hit. Bell is an aggressive hitter by nature and wants to swing early in the count. If he can work on his patience and working to get on base rather than hit big home runs, he could add to his value as a middle of the order hitter..kk
Colin Moran: 3-4, 2 Runs Scored
Of the three middle of the order bats for the Pirates, Colin Moran has been the most consistent this season. At one point, he was leading the National League in home runs and had a batting average up near the .400 mark. However, he had cooled down considerably over the last couple weeks with his batting average dropping to the .215 mark. However, last night was a big night for the Pirate's first baseman as he went 3-4 with two runs scored. Moran scored in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Gregory Polanco and in the eight on Reynold's RBI Triple.
Moran has been nothing if not consistent since coming over in the 2018 Gerrit Cole trade. He has hit .277 in each of his first two seasons with the Pirates and was an extra-base machine last season. He recorded a career-high 30 doubles last season and was third on the team in that category. He especially thrived with runners in scoring position, as he hit .316 in those situations finishing second on the team. He hasn't nearly gotten as many chances with runners in scoring position this season, so he has had to settle for setting the offense up. Moran has been much more aggressive this season. With all three middle of the order batters on fire, the offense could be set up for success in the series with Milwaukee.
Game two of the three-game series is tonight as the Pittsburgh Pirates (5-17) take on the Milwaukee Brewers (11-13). Derek Holland (0-1, 7.58) takes the hill for the Bucs after coming off a relief appearance last time as he faces Josh Lindblom (1-0, 6.62). You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet and FS1 or listen live on 93.7 The Fan with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 pm.
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