Pirates Takeaways: Lowe, Reynolds Prove All-Star Snub Wrong
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WASHINGTON — The Pittsburgh Pirates have relied on their offense this season to get them wins and they did just that against the Washingtion Nationals.
The Pirates took two out of three games to win a crucial road series against the Nationals at Nationals Park, with a 7-1 victory on July 4 and 11-5 in the series finale on July 5, after losing the series opener 9-5 on July 4.
Pittsburgh's offense averaged nine runs per game and continued showing that they can produce in a variety of ways and rely on numerous different members of their lineup to do it too.
It was a big road trip for the Pirates, as they went 4-3 and now sit 46-45 ahead of their final two series before the All-Star break, which both come at PNC Park.
Offense Finding Any Way to Score
The Pirates were fantastic on offense vs. the Nationals and it really started towards the end of their defeat in the first game.
Pittsburgh hit five doubles in the ninth inning, scoring four runs and not giving up even when it was clear they would have little chance to come back.
The Pirates kept that momentum going when they scored five runs in the first two innings of the second game, including shortstop Konnor Griffin stealing home in the first inning and a four-run second inning, and finished it off with a two-run eighth inning.
Pittsburgh then got out to a 4-0 lead early in the series finale, and after Washington tied it up, they added seven runs over the eighth and ninth innings to secure the win and the series victory too.
So many different players came through for the Pirates, as catcher Henry Davis had back-to-back two RBI games, Tyler Callihan and Griffin each had a big two run single in the series finale, Bryan Reynolds and Brandon Lowe showed off their power and Nick Gonzales had a great showing all weekend.
Ryan O'Hearn walked three times and scored twice in the series finale and rookie Esmerlyn Valdez had three hits in the series opener and two RBI in the series.
The Pirates getting contributions throughout their lineup, which lacks center fielder Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz to injury, is even more impressive and shows just how diverse and dynamic this offense is and can be the rest of the campaign.
"It's a blast being a part of this lineup," Lowe said after the finale. "One through nine, guys that are not starting that day, there's damage to be found and runs to be scored. It's fun coming to the ballpark and understanding that you get to hit behind KG or B-Rey, we have O'Hearn and Valdy behind. It's a fun line to be a part of, for sure."
Lowe, Reynolds Show Out After All-Star Snubs
Paul Skenes was the lone Pirates player named to the All-Star Game, with the team having a few players who probably should've gotten a nod, including Lowe and Reynolds.
Both players were fantastic in this series vs. the Nationals and played a big role in the last two wins as well.
Reynolds hit a solo home run and an RBI-double in the series opener and a solo home run in the series finale, making it 4-0 in the third inning, while also having two hits in the second game.
Lowe drove in two runs with a single in the second game to make it 4-1 in the second inning and then hit a three-run home run in the series finale, to make it 11-4 in the eighth inning and put the game out of reach.
Reynolds is having one of the best seasons of his career, slashing .282/.393/.474 for an OPS of .867 in 91 games, with 94 hits, 21 doubles, 13 home runs, 56 RBI and 57 walks to 89 strikeouts.
His 57 walks are the second-most in his career and tied seventh-most in baseball, while his .393 on-base percentage ranks eighth-best in baseball.
Lowe is the best power-hitting second baseman in baseball, leading his position group in home runs (21), RBI (63), slugging percentage (.498) and ranking third in OPS (.823).
Both players may feel hard done by not earning an All-Star nod, but their contributions to the Pirates lineup have been massive and why they are still in the playoff hunt in early July.
Keller, Chandler Regress After Recent Improvements
Pirates right-handed starting pitchers Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler had finally found some consistency on the mound in their recent starts, but didn't show that vs. the Nationals.
Keller gave up three home runs and five earned runs over the first three innings of his start in the series opener vs. the Nationals, while Chandler gave up four runs over four innings and didn't post a single strikeout in the series finale.
It marked just the fourth time in Keller's career that hegave up three home runs in the same outing and while he did go six innings, he was largely ineffective with eight hits allowed and just one strikeout.
Chandler had a 4-0 lead in the third inning, but gave up a two-run home run, a walk and a wild pitch led to another run and then he loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth inning, that left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery managed to allow just one run off of to keep the Pirates at least tied at 4-4.
Keller had come into this start after two strong outings at PNC Park, with back-to-back quality starts of six innings and three runs allowed in the 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on June 23 and the 9-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on June 28.
Chandler had one of his better outings vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 30, allowing just two runs over six innings before some struggles in the seventh inning.
He had posted a 2.82 ERA over his past four outings and a 2.65 ERA in his three starts before this road trip, but this start vs. the Nationals was not a great sign.
It's a long season, so both pitchers have opportunities to bounce back, but the Pirates need better from them going forward.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.