It was a different night, different opponent and a different result Friday night at PNC Park, as a combination of consistent hitting and good pitching resulted in the Pirates' fifth win of the season, beating the Brewers, 7-2.
It was also a different Bryan Reynolds.
Which is to say he was very 2019 Reynolds-like, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three runs scored and three RBIs. And in the field, he made a spectacular diving catch to rob Brewers all-star outfielder Christian Yelich of a base hit in the top of the fourth inning:
Winning pitcher Chad Kuhl knows balls hit at that trajectory are some of the hardest catches one can make.
"Just a heck of a play," Kuhl said. "You tip your cap. He’s done a great job all year throwing guys out and making plays.”
Reynolds has been making plays in the field all season but has struggled at the plate. Perhaps Friday's performance could be a moment where things begin to turn around.
"Tonight felt really good," Reynolds said after the win. "I think we’re on the right track. I’m not going to say that anything’s cleared up yet, but tonight’s definitely moving in the right direction."
While Reynolds himself was hesitant to give himself too much praise, Derek Shelton expressed his pleasure with the left fielder's performance on Friday.
"He broke out tonight by taking really good swings at the right pitches," Shelton said. "He had aggressive at bats. And how he's been with me or with the group is, the guy doesn't change.
"I mean, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a heartbeat. He's the same guy every day and that's why I think he's going to hit. I think one of the things that we've talked about continuously, this guy is going to hit. He hit when he was in Little League, he hit all the way through high school, college. He's gone through a difficult part to start the season and again, in 65-70 at bats, but this guy is going to hit."
Reynolds ended the night with both of the Pirates' extra-base-hits. The first being a home run in the second inning, and the second being a triple to left-center field in the eighth:
While Reynolds' big night was a surprise for some, Shelton said after the game that he saw it coming. He mentioned that it was a foul ball during their series in Cincinnati last weekend that let him know the old Reynolds would soon return.
"The ball he pulled foul, way foul in Cincinnati is when I think it started to click and then we get three days off," Shelton said. "... Timing is a huge thing. I think it's one of the things we've been lacking, one of the things we've been working on. But I think we saw him on time today and doing it from both sides of the plate is extremely difficult and he showed it tonight."
Reynolds remembers the pitch. Fastball. Pulled it foul. He was ahead of it, but something still clocked.
"I was just trying to get back on the heater, and I was late and kind of tentative before that," Reynolds said. "That’s getting me going in the right direction."
On Friday, he was keeping them fair.
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