Bart, Reynolds Power Pirates Past Diamondbacks

PITTSBURGH — Bryan Reynolds hit his first home run of the second half and Joey Bart also went deep for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park on Saturday night. 

Recap

Bart gave the Pirates (56-54) a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run to deep left field. 

After a 68-minute rain delay knocked starter Mitch Keller out of the game, Dennis Santana took over and allowed all three batters he faced to reach to open the top of the fifth. Jalen Beeks took over and retired the first two batters he faced before Joc Pederson drew a walk on the ninth pitch of the at-bat to tie the game 1-1.

Reynolds put the Pirates ahead in the sixth inning with his 19th home run of the season, a two-run blast to right-center off of Slade Cecconi. Andrew McCutchen led off the inning with a single but was replaced by Ji Hwan Bae after exiting with left quad tightness. 

Later in the inning, Bart drove in his second run of the game with a base hit to left after Connor Joe hit a one-out double. Bart set a career-high with 27 RBIs in 45 games this season. 

Ketel Marte drove in a run to bring the Diamondbacks (59-52) within two in the bottom of the ninth but David Bednar retired Alek Thomas for his 20th save of the season.

Key Moment

Reynolds’ two-run shot served as the game-winning blow. He now has four RBIs over his last two games.

A B-Rey BLAST💥 pic.twitter.com/nQfMrF9dLc

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 4, 2024

Star of the Game

While Bart and Reynolds each homered and drove in two runs, Bart was the only Pirates player with two hits, giving him the edge.

Stat to Know

The Pirates once again avoided a three-game losing streak. They haven’t lost three games in a row since May 7-10.

Noteworthy

• Kyle Nicolas (2-2) got the win for the Pirates. Cecconi (2-7) took the loss for the Diamondbacks.
• The Pirates reinstated INF/OF Isiah Kiner-Falefa off the 10-day injured list and optioned INF Alika Williams to Triple-A Indianapolis. Kiner-Falefa went 0 for 3 and played second base in his debut. 

Up Next

Paul Skenes (6-1, 1.90 ERA) will look to lead the Pirates to a series win in the series finale on Sunday afternoon. Ryne Nelson (8-6, 4.53 ERA) will try and do the same for the Diamondbacks. First pitch: 1:35 ET.