PITTSBURGH — One night after dropping a grinding extra innings game to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Pittsburgh Pirates came out Sunday with something to prove. They proved it convincingly, beating the Rays 6-3 at PNC Park to take the series and push their record to 13-9 on the season.
The victory capped a three game set that saw the Pirates win the opener 5-1 on April 17, drop a hard-fought 8-7 decision in extras on April 18, and then reassert themselves with Sunday’s cleaner performance. It was exactly the kind of response a team trying to build something needs to give.
Keller makes his case
The story of the afternoon was right hander Mitch Keller, who threw seven innings of two-run ball and needed just 89 pitches to get through what amounted to the most important outing of the series. He scattered five hits, struck out five, and surrendered both of his runs in the fifth inning before locking back in and cruising through the final two frames.
It was Keller’s fourth quality start in five appearances, a stretch that has lowered his ERA to 2.57 with a 0.67 WHIP for the series. He has quietly become one of the more reliable starters in the National League over this early portion of the season, and Sunday was further evidence of why the Pirates feel good about what they have at the top of their rotation. His five strikeouts also moved him past Rick Rhoden into 10th place on the Pirates all time strikeout list, a milestone that speaks to just how consistent he has been over his career in Pittsburgh.
Reynolds delivers when it matters
Keller had the pitching side covered, but the Pirates still needed their offense to hold up its end, particularly after leaving some opportunities on the table in the early innings. They delivered in the fifth.
Left fielder Jake Mangum opened the game with a leadoff double and scored on a groundout by Bryan Reynolds to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead in the first. Things stayed quiet until the fifth inning, when the Pirates strung together the kind of sequence that changes games. Catcher Joey Bart doubled, Billy Cook bunted him to third, and Nick Gonzales flew out to bring Bart home to tie the game at 2-2. Reynolds then came through with a single that plated both Cook and Gonzales, pushing the Pirates ahead 4-2 and effectively taking the wind out of Tampa Bay’s sails.
Reynolds finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with three RBI, continuing what has been a strong stretch for the Pirates’ right fielder.
Home run power seals it
The Pirates added insurance in the sixth and eighth innings via the long ball, which gave the final score a comfortable feel. Pinch-hitter Spencer Horwitz launched a solo shot in the sixth 383 feet at 104 mph off the bat and third baseman Nick Yorke followed with his first home run of the season in the eighth, a 394 foot blast clocked at 106.6 mph. Yorke had also been credited as a second baseman in the lineup card, but his contributions at the plate were undeniable regardless of where he was positioned on the field.
On the mound after Keller departed, reliever Isaac Mattson threw a spotless eighth inning, extending his scoreless streak to 12 outings and dropping his ERA to 1.32. Rookie right hander Wilber Dotel closed things out in the ninth in his MLB debut, allowing a solo homer to Junior Caminero but ultimately finishing the job as Pittsburgh secured the 6-3 final.
What comes next
The Pirates leave their homestand at 8-5 at PNC Park, a mark that reflects genuine home field presence. They head to Texas next to take on the Rangers before a weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The combination of Keller’s steadiness, Reynolds’ clutch production, and a bullpen that is finding its footing gives Pittsburgh reasons to feel good about where this team is heading.
At 13-9 overall, the Pirates are playing winning baseball, and Sunday’s performance was a reminder of what they look like when everything comes together.
