Freeze Frame: Hayes lowers the boom from leadoff taken at PNC Park (Pirates)

JOE SARGENT / GETTY

Ke'Bryan Hayes celebrates his leadoff double against the Reds on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.

A big reason why the Pirates have the National League's best record at 16-7 is because they are getting production from several different hitters.

Ke'Bryan Hayes started off the year ice cold, but has bounced back over the past 10 games in a big way. That couldn't have been more evident in the Pirates' 2-0 victory over the Reds on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.

Pitching dominated the series on both sides of the ball, which made each and every run even more valuable than usual. Sunday was Hayes' 10th straight game in which he was penciled in as Derek Shelton's leadoff hitter. And on the very first pitch on any Pirates hitter saw, Hayes unloaded on it for a leadoff double that smacked off the wall in right-center field:

"In my mind, I knew we were facing Hunter Greene," Hayes said, walking me through the at-bat. "I obviously know he's going to throw a first-pitch fastball. I knew, just by it being a little colder out, his velo would be down a little bit. I went with the mindset of expecting his normal velo, but obviously it was a little slower today just because it was cold out. I just wanted to see something out over the plate and be aggressive."

Hayes moved up to third base on Tucupita Marcano's single, then scored when Andrew McCutchen grounded into a double play. During the Pirates' seven-game winning streak, they've scored in the first inning five times. Hayes' presence at the top of the lineup is a key reason why.

Prior to his leadoff double, Hayes was slashing .324/.395/.568 with a homer, four RBIs, five walks and only two strikeouts in the nine previous games. Shelton, a former hitting coach, has seen Hayes turn the corner from a slow start and turn into the hitter he's capable of being.

"His timing’s way better," Shelton said of Hayes. "The first hit he had, I don't know how it didn't get out. Cold day, early on, I thought we hit a ton of balls hard and didn't get anything to show for it. He continues to have good at-bats. He continues to be out front, which is important."

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