Reynolds Goes 4-for-5 With Two Homers, Pirates Steal One

Bryan Reynolds was a one-man demolition crew on June 16, going 4-for-5 with 2 home runs, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored, and 10 total bases in Pittsburgh's 6-5 win over the Athletics. Our model favored Athletics (55%), and it looked like a reasonable lean — until Reynolds made it irrelevant.

The story of the night was Reynolds, full stop. Ten total bases in five plate appearances is the kind of line that makes you double-check the box score. He didn't just carry the Pirates offense — he was the Pirates offense. Ryan O'Hearn chipped in with 3 hits and a run scored across 5 plate appearances, and Brandon Lowe added a home run with an RBI, but this game belongs to Reynolds in the recap and in the memory.

On the mound, neither starter was sharp enough to win it cleanly. Mitch Keller went 5⅓ innings for Pittsburgh, striking out 7 but walking 4 and allowing 4 earned runs on 5 hits — the kind of outing where the stuff was clearly there but the command kept bailing the opposition out. Jack Perkins matched that messy energy for Oakland, going 5 innings with 6 strikeouts but surrendering 6 hits, 2 walks, and 3 earned runs. Both starters left their bullpens with work to do, and Pittsburgh's relievers appear to have done just enough to hold the lead.

For the Athletics, Zack Gelof gave them a real fight — 3 hits, a home run, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in just 4 plate appearances. Lawrence Butler drove in a run as well. But Oakland's offense, despite generating traffic, couldn't close the gap against a Pittsburgh club that had Reynolds doing damage every time he stepped in. The Athletics stranded enough to make this a frustrating loss rather than a blowup. Pittsburgh improves to a 6-5 final that looks closer than Reynolds' individual performance deserved — which, honestly, is the most Pittsburgh Pirates thing imaginable.