PIRATES

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Bryan Reynolds homers to right in the seventh inning Tuesday night in Sacramento, Calif.

Facing a four-run first-inning deficit amidst a stretch of eight losses in 10 games, the Pirates needed multiple things to go right in order to rally and avoid losing for a ninth time in 11 games. 

The offensive support needed to come in bunches, Mitch Keller needed to settle in after a 38-pitch first inning and the bullpen needed to put forth an exceedingly rare strong showing. All three of those things happened and the Pirates were rewarded for their efforts, securing a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Athletics here tonight at Sutter Health Park. 

"We needed that," Bryan Reynolds said. "We battled and came back. Found a way late off their closer. We needed it. It was a good one." 

Brandon Lowe delivered the nail in the coffin with a solo shot in the ninth inning, but it was Reynolds who led the charge offensively by extending his on-base to 23 games, tied for the third-longest of his career, with a four-hit effort that included home runs from both sides of the plate. Reynolds has now accomplished that particular feat four times in his career and is one of three Pirates players, joining Dale Sveum and Bobby Bonilla, to homer from each side in one game. 

"To have a guy who’s going to be the anchor in the lineup for us, we definitely need somebody to pick it up," Lowe said of Reynolds, who is hitting .296 with a .980 OPS in 14 games this month after batting .313 with a .932 OPS in May. "We can’t really ask any more out of Bryan than what he’s been doing. The at-bats have been phenomenal. Obviously he left the yard twice tonight. It didn’t look like he was trying any differently or trying to hit the ball any harder than he normally does. He’s going out there, rolling out the great at-bats. He’s definitely been a calming piece in this lineup for us right now." 

While the Pirates benefitted from timely hitting from Reynolds, Lowe and Endy Rodriguez, who contributed with a sixth-inning RBI single, the performances on the mound mattered, too. 

A Spencer Horwitz error and an obstruction call on Nick Gonzales allowed three of the four first-inning runs to score, but Keller wasn't particularly sharp out of the gate either. He walked three of the first four batters he faced and gave up two hits, including an RBI double to Lawrence Butler that made it 4-0. 

Things changed from there, though. He threw 14 total pitches over the second and third innings and finished with nine in the fourth, displaying better command and filling up the strike zone. He allowed a few more hits in the latter stages of his 5 1/3-inning performance, including a solo homer to Zack Gelof that ended his night in the sixth, but he did enough to make sure things didn't get further out of hand. 

"Honestly, I didn’t change too much. I just felt more comfortable in what I was doing," said Keller, who ultimately allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts. "I just started kinda pressing buttons on my PitchCom on what I felt like I was going to be able to execute. Just kinda took that confidence and that kind of rhythm through the rest of the game. Huge for us to come back. Giving up a four-spot in the first is really tough for a team to come back on. I’ve been saying this all year, but nothing is out of reach for us to come back from. Hats off to our bullpen for sealing it up."

As Keller alluded to, the bullpen answered the call upon their starter's exit. Evan Sisk, Yohan Ramirez, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto combined to keep the Athletics scoreless over the final 3 2/3 innings. They collectively gave up three hits, walked two and struck out six to help contribute to a win that, at one point, didn't truly seem possible. 

"Not the first inning that you want by any means, but it showed a lot about the determination of a lot of guys in here," Lowe said. "Mitch had every reason to be rolling his eyes or be upset. He stayed through it and gave us a heck of an outing. Every relief pitcher who came in did what they were supposed to do. Hats off to the hitters for never letting off the gas pedal."