PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Since April 14, only one time did the Pirates score more runs in a game than they did in the sixth inning as the Bucs also win a first series since that weekend, a 5-3 final against Colorado.
"I was really proud of our group because I think over the last like week or so, we get down and I think you can feel it a little bit,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “Today we got down and it was like, 'All right, we're going to continue to grind out at-bats. We're going to continue to have good at-bats.' We created opportunities.”
It had the odd feelings of recent games as even when Bucs scored a first run. Oneil Cruz pounded one to right after a Ke’Bryan Hayes one-out single and as he watched it, it hit the wall. Hayes rounded third and as the throw went home, and Hayes would have been out by a mile, catcher Jacob Stallings bobbled it allowing Hayes to scramble back to third and Cruz to get to second. Rowdy Tellez got Hayes home on a dribbler to first, but that was it.
In the sixth, the Bucs most consistent hitter this season, Connor Joe, singled into left. Bryan Reynolds then roped a 106-mile-an-hour double to right. Hayes would ground out to score Joe, but instead of it being the only run, the Bucs got more. Specifically, a 106-mile-an-hour home run off the roof of the right-center field bar and travelling 429 feet. Tellez would watch one hit off the Clemente wall and slide into second safely and scored on a Jack Suwinski single to left and a four-run inning.
“The confidence part of it, I think will play into a large part of it,” Shelton said of Cruz. “I think the one thing we have to realize with Oneil is he does a lot of things that look easy so at times, he kind of gets that moniker of, 'the body language is bad,' when he cares and is locked in. But I do think getting a couple hits, having a couple good games – your confidence will definitely tick back up."
Bailey Falter gave up back-to-back home runs to Jacob Stallings and Sean Bouchard as the Rockies led 3-0 until the fifth. Falter would go 5.1 innings allowing six hits, three runs, two walks and three strikeouts.
"I thought he was good,” Shelton said. “He got touched up there in the (second) where he just left fastballs over the middle. It looked like every other inning, the fastball command was really good.”
Falter left with first and second and one out and Luis Ortiz got a groundout and a flyout and then a 1-2-3 seventh for the win.
“I owe him a couple of beers after saving those two runs for me,” Falter said of Ortiz, noting how much better he’s pitched. “He’s been doing well.”
“The biggest thing we've seen with (Ortiz) is when he's good, he stays in that attack mode,” Shelton said. “He goes right after people and when he struggles is when he scatters the ball. The more confidence he gets in these leverage roles of, 'Hey, just go out and pitch until I'm taken out' instead of worrying about how many outs he's going to pitch has really helped."
Aroldis Chapman walked the first batter in the eighth, but picked out Ryan McMahon and that seemed to settle him down. He would strike out Elias Diaz swinging and Elehuris Montero looking.
"It's the second or third guy he's picked off,” Shelton said. “I think people showed early they were going to try to run on him and he's got a good move and I'm pretty sure McMahon is not running there. Caught him by surprise. It was a big play in the game."
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David Bednar would finish it with his sixth save, first of the month giving up only a two-out double and then struck out pinch-hitter Jake Cave looking for the final out.
It was the Pirates first series win since taking two of three from the Orioles at home April 6-8.
“It's always good to start off with a series win so it's nice to get that going,” Tellez said. “Good for our bats to wake up a little bit. Falter threw a good game so it was good for us. I think all around it was a well-played game and we came out on top.”
“That's what we needed. We need to get it going.”
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Reynolds change
Just two hits in his last 22 at bats, Bryan Reynolds needed to get something going. The averaged had dipped to .235.
So when he got ready for the game on Sunday, he changed it all-cleats, arm sleeve and his walk-up song to ‘Beer for my Horses’ by Toby Keith.
“Yeah, something had to change,” Reynolds said. “Thought a little bit about it last night and went with that.”
Up Next
The Angels are in town for the first of three with lefty Tyler Anderson against Mitch Keller. The former Pirate Anderson is 2-3 with a 2.23 ERA and Keller is 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA. Dan Zangrilli hosts the North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show starting at 5:45 with first pitch on 93.7 The Fan at 6:40 on Monday.