Pirates Three Stars of the Week: Reynolds Rakes, Oviedo Shines

The Pittsburgh Pirates alternated wins and losses this week in matchups with the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers and finished the six-game slate 3-3.

The Pirates received contributions from a handful of their players, both on the mound and at the plate.

As things currently stand, the Pirates are in fourth place in the National League Central division and are nine gamed behind the first-place Brewers.

Here are the top three performers from last week.

Third star: Alfonso Rivas – .286/.412/.714, one double, one triple, one home run, three RBIs, four games

After being acquired at the trade deadline, Rivas joined the club in Milwaukee and made an instant impact with the bat, reaching base safely in all four games.

Rivas showed off some power by notching three extra-base hits including his first home run in the black and gold.

Rivas homers! pic.twitter.com/3I0EProfS4

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 5, 2023

Second star: Bryan Reynolds: – .409/.435/.727, one double, two home runs, four RBIs, one steal, six games

Reynolds was on fire at the plate for Pittsburgh this week and played a key role in helping the Pirates go .500 in their six games to begin August.

The Pirates’ outfielder belted a pair of home runs, including a pinch-hit, two-run homer against the Brewers in Sunday’s win.

REYNOLDS OFF THE BENCH! pic.twitter.com/S0xVJ7LLpZ

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 6, 2023

First star: Johan Oviedo – 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 1er/14.0ip, eight hits, five walks, 11 strikeouts, two starts

Oviedo was victorious in both of his starts on the week, completing a full seven innings each time out.

The right-hander was flat-out dominant between his two starts, allowing just one combined run while limiting the opposition to a .174 batting average against and a measly .494 OPS.

Johan Oviedo's 2Ks in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/nXoowlTczN

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 2, 2023

This week, the Pirates will have a seven-game homestand against a pair of teams in the playoff chase. After hosting the MLB-best Atlanta Braves for four games, the Cincinnati Reds will come to town for a three-game weekend series.

Check back next week for the Pirates’ top three performers from the week ahead.