Bryan Reynolds is giving the Pirates exactly what they need right now: steady production from a veteran bat at a point in the season where every good swing matters.
In Pittsburgh’s 9-3 win over the Chicago White Sox in the series opener at Rate Field on Sept. 8, Reynolds was right in the middle of the damage. He doubled in the first inning to put the Pirates ahead 1-0, then added another double in the second and later scored as Pittsburgh broke the game open with seven early runs.
That night extended Reynolds’ on-base streak to 18 straight games, the longest active run in the majors. It also continued a stretch that looks much more like the version of Reynolds the Pirates had earlier in the year.
The turnaround matters because things had gone sideways for him after the All-Star break. From July 18 to Aug.
17, Reynolds hit .197/.277/.291 with an OPS of .568, collecting just 23 hits in 130 at-bats with one home run and six RBI. For that month-long span, he was one of the least productive hitters in baseball.
That slump stood in sharp contrast to the first 97 games of his season, when Reynolds was borderline All-Star caliber. He hit .283/.400/.477 with an .877 OPS, piling up 99 hits, 22 doubles, 14 home runs, 59 RBI and 62 walks against 94 strikeouts.
He also ranked third in the majors in walks and carried a .400 on-base percentage that was fourth-best in MLB. At one point, he put together a 34-game on-base streak that led the big leagues, along with a 17-game hitting streak, which was the second-longest of his career.
Now, though, Reynolds is back in a much better rhythm. During his current on-base streak, he’s hitting .314/.388/.443 with an .830 OPS, along with 22 hits in 70 at-bats, six doubles, a home run, four RBI and seven walks to 12 strikeouts.
He’s also found his share of loud contact. Reynolds has seven multi-hit games, and his three-hit day against the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park on Sept. 5 was his best showing since he had four hits against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on June 16. He also homered against the Angels, his first home run since July 28 against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park.
"Just hitting the ball well, hitting it hard," Reynolds said after his game against the White Sox. "Hoping it falls.
Nothing crazy. Good barrels."
The timing couldn’t be much better for Pittsburgh. The Pirates have won nine of their last 13 and sit one game under .500 at 72-73 with 17 games left. They’re two spots out of the final National League Wild Card position, but they trail the Diamondbacks by 5.5 games, which means the margin for error is gone.
Reynolds, the longest-tenured Pirate, is a central part of whatever push remains. He’s been one of the team’s best hitters all season, and his 36 doubles are tied for the major league lead with San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers.
Through seven games in September, Reynolds is hitting .385/.452/.654 with a 1.106 OPS, and if the Pirates are going to make a real late run, they’ll need that kind of production to keep rolling the rest of the way.
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