How do you know that Bryan Reynolds is really feeling it? When he lets loose and finally allows himself to crack a smile.
We got the rare showing of any type of emotion from the usually stoic Reynolds Tuesday night in Arizona. After all, he had plenty to smile about. The Pirates rallied from down 6-0 to win 9-6 in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, tying their second highest-run total of the season.
Pittsburgh’s comeback didn’t start until the sixth inning, when Henry Davis (who came in for an injured Joey Bart in the fifth) smoked a home run 432 feet to put the Pirates on the board, 6-2.
That long bomb by Davis scored himself and Reynolds, who found a way to break out of his ice cold streak with a trip to the desert.
Coming into the second game of Pittsburgh’s three game visit to Chase Field, Reynolds was slashing .208/.277/.329. His painfully slow start to the season had dragged into the month of May, and a bad slump had turned into something more. He looked frustrated and lost at the plate, and whatever adjustments he tried to make just didn’t seem to be working.
That, plus some subpar defense at times, led to him being regarded by Wins Above Replacement metrics as the worst Pirate in 2025.
But the breakout from that seems to finally be here.
Reynolds went 4-for-4 Tuesday night, recording his first four-hit game of the season and first since July 13th, 2024 against the Chicago White Sox. He got on base all five times he came to the plate.
This game was also Reynolds’ first time back in the two-spot in the order since May 12th against the New York Mets. While the Pirates and new manager Don Kelly tried to get Reynolds going, they bumped him from his long-time spot as second in the order down to third.
Andrew McCutchen primarily took over that spot in the lineup, but since he had an off day, Kelly slid Reynolds back up to the two-spot. It paid off in spades. We haven’t seen Reynolds look that good all season. He truly looked like a different player last night.
His night started off with a sharp line drive single to center field in the first inning. Reynolds was able to advance to second on a fielder’s choice, but the Pirates stranded a pair to end the top half of the inning.
In the third, he lined another single, this time to left field to snag himself another base. Once again, he was stranded as the Pirates seemingly had no answer for Corbin Burnes.
But even with the lack of offense in the first half of the game, seeing Reynolds notch a pair of hits was a pleasant sight. Reynolds has only had three multi-hit games this month.
Reynolds wasn’t up again until the sixth inning, where the Diamondbacks had cruised to a 6-0 lead for the Pirates and seemed to be a lock for a win. Reynolds was able to draw a five-pitch walk off Burnes, which put him on base for Davis’ home run two batters later.
Reynolds would also add a double in the seventh, but the Pirates failed to capitalize, and it seemed as if the game was over.
But man, did they ever find some magic. After Kevin Ginkel replaced Burnes on the mound, the Pirates’ started to pour on a barrage on the Diamondbacks’ reliever. Davis started the inning with a double, followed by two singles from Alexander Canario and Tommy Pham that scored Pittsburgh’s catcher.
Ke’Bryan Hayes then drew a walk, which loaded the bases for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The shortstop, who historically has strong numbers in those situations, drilled a ground ball down the third base line for a bases clearing double, tying the game and stunning the home crowd.
But while Davis started the rally, Reynolds was the one to finish it off. Facing former Pirate and teammate Jalen Beeks, Reynolds launched a three-run homer to break the 6-6 tie and give Pittsburgh a commanding lead in the eighth.
In the rubber match on Wednesday, Reynolds wasn’t quite as dominant as he was the night before. He was picked up mostly by his teammates as the Pirates exploded for ten runs in a blowout of the Diamondbacks to take the series.
But Reynolds still was able to notch a triple and reach base safely twice.
In the third, Reynolds was able to reach first on a fielding error by Diamondbacks second baseman Jordan Lawlar.
In the sixth inning, he lined one off Juan Morillo that trickled past a sliding Corbin Carroll in right field. As Carroll raced back to meet the ball, Reynolds rounded second and charged into the third for his first triple of the season.
That triple scored Jared Triolo, tacking on another RBI and continuing the barrage in Arizona.
With June right around the corner, perhaps the Reynolds breakout we’ve all been waiting for is finally here.
June has always been Reynolds’ strongest month. Over the 30-year-old’s now seven-year major league career, Reynolds has slashed .340/.409/.572 with 23 home runs and 72 RBI in 119 June games. His numbers in that month far outweigh any other time of the baseball season.
Last year, Reynolds slashed 330/.388/.604 in June, for an OPS just under 1.000. It was his best month of the season, like usual.
Look, it’s incredibly, incredibly unlikely. But, if the Pirates are going to claw their way back into relevancy this season, they are going to need Reynolds playing at 110% for basically the rest of the way. Getting him going is so crucial to this team’s limited offense.
The offense being poorly constructed was visible from the start of the year. Losing what we thought we would be getting in Reynolds made it unbearable.
It’s really, really good to see him start to get going. And with the calendar flipping to June on Sunday, there’s no telling just how much he could heat up.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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