PITTSBURGH — The way this season has gone for the Pirates, especially when it comes to their offensive production (or lack thereof), they'll certainly take it. The fans who rose in unison in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday were treated to, of all things, a walk-off walk.
Bryan Reynolds drew a four-pitch free pass against Braves reliever Tyler Matzek, Rodolfo Castro scored from third, and the Pirates snagged their third consecutive victory, 2-1, over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park.
The decisive inning started with a solid at-bat from Castro, who was called up earlier in the day when Gregory Polanco went on the 10-day injured list and Phillip Evans landed on the seven-day concussion list.
Promoted from Class AA Altoona, it was a big jump for Castro, who hit .363 in June with seven doubles, seven home runs, 26 RBIs and a 1.054 OPS. After falling in a 1-2 hole, Castro worked an eight-pitch walk against Matzek.
Adam Frazier followed with a single, and Ke’Bryan Hayes walked to load the bases for Reynolds, who waited patiently for the Pirates' first walk-off walk since Kevin Newman did it June 23, 2019.
Pittsburgh has now gone 12-6 in its last 18 games against the Braves in Pittsburgh. The Pirates' three-game winning streak follows a six-game losing skid, one that continued because of a lack of offense.
More than anything they did with the bats, the Pirates should be very encouraged by what they got out of Chad Kuhl on Monday, the right-hander working six innings and allowing just one run on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Kuhl’s last start represented a step back for him, a blister on his pitching hand causing some control issues in Denver, as Kuhl lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits and three walks.
What Kuhl did between his last start and this one, it worked.
The Pirates got a different version of Kuhl against the Braves, one who pounded the strike zone and had no issues commanding his pitches.
Kuhl retired the first six men he faced, three via strikeout, before left fielder Orlando Arcia led off the third inning with a single. It was a non-issue, however, as Kuhl got the next three in order.
A double play helped him erase a one-out single in the fourth before Arcia scored Atlanta’s only run off Kuhl with a solo home run in the fifth inning.
Although his slider looked excellent for much of the night, Kuhl left a spinner out over the middle of the plate, and Arcia clobbered it 430 feet to left-center, tying the game at 1.
The strike-throwing was extremely noticeable for Kuhl, who hit the zone with 61 of his 97 pitches. He also threw a lot of sliders — 49%. Kuhl used the slider to finish six of his seven strikeouts, while those punchouts also weren’t cheapies; five of the seven required at least six pitches.
A night after Pittsburgh’s first through sixth hitters had at least two hits apiece, the top three hitters put together a couple solid at-bats to create a 1-0 lead in the third inning.
Frazier singled to start, knocking a full-count change-up to center. Next came Hayes, who has seemingly shaken his recent slump. The third baseman doubled to give the Pirates runners on second and third with nobody out.
Reynolds drove a fly ball to center field, and Frazier scored with a head-first slide, one where he smartly targeted the back-side of home plate to avoid Braves catcher Kevan Smith.
What Hayes did Monday — two hits, including a two-run homer — combined with his performance Tuesday could mean big things for the Pirates’ rookie, who entered the game hitting .107 over his past nine games (seven starts).
The first three balls Hayes hit each went 100-plus mph, while two of them went for doubles. It certainly seems like he’s back to driving the ball.
Meanwhile, the Pirates created plenty of traffic on the bases but couldn’t get the big hit. Through seven innings, they went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven.
In the eighth, the Pirates loaded the bases thanks to singles from John Nogowski and Wilmer Difo, plus a Michael Perez walk. But Jared Oliva dribbled one a little up the third-base line, allowing Smith to pick up the ball and tag Nogowski for the third out.
The Pirates nearly had an incredible moment earlier in the eighth, as Nogowski crushed a ball down the left-field line. Looked for a second like it might’ve stayed fair, too. But a replay review confirmed that it did indeed sail foul.
