PITTSBURGH _ For all of their futility and frustration since last reaching the postseason in 2015, the Pirates have been surprisingly dominant during doubleheaders, winning 12 of 14 games over their past seven dating back to 2016.
Anthony Alford and Ke'Bryan Hayes, the two newest Pirates, have had nothing to do with that, of course. They probably don't even know about that particular stat.
But on Friday, as the Pirates tried to salvage a split against the Reds, they put together a sequence that was integral in Pittsburgh's 4-3 victory at PNC Park in Game 2.
It came in the fourth inning, after Colin Moran reached on an error, and Hayes singled. Alford stepped to the plate and crushed a low-and-outside cutter from Reds starter Trevor Bauer for a two-run triple.
Since the Pirates claimed Alford off waivers from Toronto, manager Derek Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington have talked about unlocking some of his potential, specifically at the plate. While neither has said explicitly what they plan to rehabilitate or change, Shelton and Cherington have also made it known that they believe in Alford, a former top prospect in the Blue Jays system.
On Friday, two nights after he hit his first home run as a Pirate, we saw a little bit more why they feel that way.
As for Hayes, he was fun to watch all night. In Game 1, Hayes hit the two hardest balls of anyone on either team _ a 108-mph single off Reds starter Luis Castillo and a 107.5-mph fielder's choice.
The second game featured plenty of fun stuff from the rookie third baseman playing in his third MLB game. Hayes singled in the fourth inning, winning an eight-pitch battle with Trevor Bauer by bouncing a ball up the middle.
It may have included a key adjustment, too. Hayes had repeatedly been under Bauer's fastball. But finally, whether it was intentional or not, he did something to finally get on top of it.
On Alford's triple, Hayes turned on the jets, his speed on the bases evident as he lost his helmet. Hayes also played a terrific third base and in the fifth inning made a smooth play to his right, using his backhand to get Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart.
On a team that has struggled to field the ball effectively this season, Hayes so far has been a thrill to watch.
How the Pirates (12-25) won the second game wasn't terribly sexy. Kevin Newman and Adam Frazier started the fifth with back-to-back singles before a Bryan Reynolds double play plated Newman.
The most notable thing might've been Reds manager David Bell's strategy. With runners on the corners and nobody out _ remember, this was basically the seventh inning of a normal game _ Bell had his infield back, conceding the run.
Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez hit a two-run homer in the first and Pirates nemesis Mike Moustakas added a solo shot in the fourth. Both came off Cody Ponce. For Moustakas, it was his eighth in 16 career starts at PNC Park.
Ponce was effective outside of the homers, which came on an outside cutter and a misplaced change-up. He worked four innings, allowed three earned runs and struck out four.
Steven Brault got dinked and dunked, and Castillo earned his first win of the year in the early game, a 4-2 Reds victory.
Aside from a solo home run he allowed to right fielder Nick Castellanos, Brault allowed just two balls hit harder than 100 mph _ and one was an out.
"It's frustrating to get the weak contact that just happens to go to the right spot over and over and over again," Brault said. "Kind of like death by a thousand cuts."
Another Pirates error helped the Reds score their first run. They tacked on a second with a sacrifice fly, and a third came when a ball dropped between Cole Tucker and Erik Gonzalez in shallow center.
Castillo didn't look like a guy still searching for his first win. The right-hander gave the Pirates fits with his change-up and averaged 98 mph with his fastball. He struck out eight over six innings.
"He's obviously a really good pitcher for a reason," Tucker said. "The difference between his fastball and changeup is perfect for what he's trying to do."
Gregory Polanco (two doubles) and Colin Moran drove in the Pirates' runs.
