Reynolds blasts, – Bryan Reynolds hit two home runs and finished with four hits as the Pirates rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Athletics 6-5 on Tuesday. Brandon Lowe’s solo go-ahead homer in the top of the ninth off the A’s bullpen sealed the comeback.
WEST SACRAMENTO — The Pirates were down four runs early enough that it felt like a script already written. Then the bats arrived in waves, starting with a season-chasing stretch from Bryan Reynolds and ending with Brandon Lowe’s decisive swing in the ninth.
Reynolds delivered what he’s been delivering for weeks: authority at the plate and momentum in big moments. He finished with four hits, including a pair of home runs for the ninth multihomer game of his career, as Pittsburgh rallied from a 4-run deficit to beat the Athletics, 6-5, on Tuesday.
Lowe provided the final turn in the story. In the top of the ninth, his team-leading 18th home run—a solo blast—landed in the A’s bullpen and gave the Pirates a lead they wouldn’t give back.
Ryan O’Hearn also kept the pressure on with a trio of hits while starting pitcher Mitch Keller steadied the game for manager Don Kelly’s club, which won its third game in 11 tries and moved back to .500 at 37-37.
The night tightened around Reynolds’s momentum first, then around Pittsburgh’s ability to keep swinging until something finally broke. His 23-game on-base streak tied the third longest of his career, and he’s hitting .358 (29-for-81) during that stretch. Keller. meanwhile. added his own kind of permanence to the night’s turning point—allowing five runs (four earned) and five hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Keller didn’t get the win. Mason Montgomery did. After Keller’s start, reliever Montgomery (2-1) retired three batters, and Gregory Soto worked the ninth for his 11th save.
Pittsburgh’s pitching wasn’t just about getting outs—it was about staying in the game long enough for the offense to take over. Pirates pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts. It marked the 22nd straight game Pittsburgh recorded seven or more strikeouts. their longest such streak in the Modern Era (since 1901).
The Athletics made sure Pittsburgh had to climb a wall. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning on a wacky play: an infield single and a fielding error led to three runs scoring on the same play.
Pittsburgh didn’t get much going early. Through the first three innings, the Pirates had only one runner. Then the game opened in the fourth inning against A’s starter Jack Perkins. when Reynolds and O’Hearn hit consecutive one-out singles. Nick Gonzales grounded out to drive in a run, and the deficit began to shrink.
The Pirates added two more runs in the sixth. In the seventh, Spencer Horwitz drew a one-out walk and scored when Reynolds crushed a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence to tie the game at 5-5.
That swing set up the finish. Lowe’s go-ahead homer in the top of the ninth turned a comeback into a conclusion, sending the Pirates past the Athletics, 6-5, after they had been staring at a rough start only hours earlier.
Pittsburgh Pirates Oakland Athletics Bryan Reynolds Brandon Lowe Mitch Keller Mason Montgomery Gregory Soto Don Kelly MLB