Jason Mackey: Return of ‘gritty’ Pirates couldn’t have come at a better time

Eyerolls and groans would’ve been understandable after six innings Wednesday.

Ryan Ward had hit a grand slam off Carmen Mlodzinski to give the Dodgers a five-run lead. The excitement of Tyler Callihan’s fourth-inning home run off Shohei Ohtani had subsided, replaced by Endy Rodriguez grounding into an inning-ending double play. The Pirates had mustered four hits a night after they were held to five, when they allowed Los Angeles to enjoy a 10-run seventh.

Then, all of a sudden, Don Kelly’s team sprung to life, almost like a monster from a movie, displaying a fight that had been missing over the previous handful of games.

The result was a 9-8, come-from-behind victory at PNC Park, but it was more impressive how the Pirates snapped their four-game losing streak and improved to 35-33.

“That was a gritty, Pittsburgh win,” Kelly said. “My goodness.”

“It’s what we’ve been doing all year,” Bryan Reynolds added. “Always in the game. We never give up.”

“We have high hopes for the season,” Spencer Horwitz said. “To [get swept by the Braves over the weekend], it definitely left a bitter taste in our mouths. [Tuesday] was also kind of just salt in the wound.

“The emotion that was built up the past few days ... to let it out in that way was really exciting.”

As for how it came out, you can safely refer to this one as the Tyler Callihan game, the day where he began making his run at Shohei Ohtani’s two-way crown.

OK, not really, but Callihan hitting his first two big league homers was quite impressive.

He ambushed a first-pitch heater off Ohtani in the fourth, crushing it 427 feet at 107.3 mph for his first MLB homer. One off the greatest all-around player this game has ever seen and a unicorn who had been sporting a 0.74 ERA through 10 starts. In the seventh, Callihan pushed the Pirates in front, 7-6, by hammering another first pitch, this time a changeup, and smashing it 394 feet to right.

Not bad for someone who was with Triple-A Indianapolis a week ago.

“I’ve been feeling really good with the bat,” Callihan said. “Felt really good all day leading up to that at-bat. I knew I had a chance to make an impact and contribute. I’m glad I got the opportunity.”

Just think, too: Third-base coach Tony Beasley nearly gave Callihan the bunt sign, as he stepped to the plate following a pair of walks. The Pirates also weren’t done. Jake Mangum (single) and Jared Triolo (double) followed with hits, though Mangum was thrown out trying to steal third.

Another unsung hero followed, as Spencer Horwitz — who has a higher OPS than Freddie Freeman, Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger this season — provided two huge insurance runs with his ninth homer of the season.

Fastball middle-in, Horwitz crushed it 402.

There was some extra oomph to Horwitz bat drop, and after the game he explained a little of what went into it.

“I let my emotions get the most of me in that moment, for sure,” he said. “Was fired up, not just for myself but for the team.

“This four-game skid we've been on has been very frustrating, and I think that was the frustration coming out.”

Horwitz shouldn’t apologize. The Pirates have needed a win like this, one that reminds this group can do, and there are still more ingredients to list.

How about Brandon Lowe’s impressive, lunging catch in the fifth? Or Nick Gonzales making a tough play look easy on Mookie Betts an inning earlier? The Pirates scored four runs (three earned) off Ohtani … or three fewer than he had all season.

If not for Callihan’s feats of strength, we also would've been talking more about Reynolds’ absurd catch in left, conjuring memories of Brian Giles or Jason Bay in this ballpark.

Third inning, Ohtani batting. Ball hit 101.7 mph. Fortunately for the Pirates, Reynolds had enough time to make a quality read and chase it down, reaching two rows deep in the stands to make the highlight-reel grab.

“That,” Reynolds deadpanned after,” was one of my better ones.”

Yeah, no kidding.

“It was just kind of a perfect ball,’ Reynolds continued. “The timing, the flight, how long it hung up. Everything lined up.”

It hasn’t been that way for the Pirates recently. They placed Oneil Cruz on the 10-day injured list before the game with non-displaced fractures in his left hand. Endy Rodriguez left the game early with left hip discomfort. Konnor Griffin remains out. The pitching staff, especially the bullpen, has encountered issues.

But the identity the Pirates have been banking on — and building — since Spring Training showed up in a big way Wednesday. Left for dead at 6-1 and this one looking a lot like a repeat of Tuesday, the Pirates flipped the script.

Despite it being the Dodgers, they struck for three in the seventh (two on Lowe’s double) and five in an explosive eighth to put into play a possible series victory Thursday.

Given what Callihan has done the past two nights, who knows what he might have up his sleeve for the series finale.

“Everyone is giving their all out there every day,” Callihan said. “Everybody works so hard at practice. To be able to contribute, to be the one who steps up in that time, we had a lot of guys grind out at-bats and grind out pitches … plus some of the plays that were made today. It’s great to be able to make that impact for the boys.”

I thought Kelly said it even better.

"This was a keep-your-nose-down type of day," he said. "We've talked about being able to turn the page and move on. I think that we showed that in a big way [Wednesday]."

Around the horn

• This was the Pirates' largest comeback win since erasing a six-run deficit (6-0) in a 9-6 win at Arizona on May 27, 2025.

• It was the largest comeback win at home since wiping out a five-run deficit (5-0) in a 6-5 win on Aug. 23, 2024 against Cincinnati.

• Jared Jones started and allowed two earned runs over four innings, striking out four. He said he didn't feel great command-wise but made it work. The right-hander did finish with 11 whiffs, seven via his slider.

"That's my bread and butter pitch," Jones said. "Whenever I'm in trouble, I go right to it. It bailed me out of a lot of innings [Wednesday]."

• The injury to Cruz is expected to keep him out four to six weeks. "He wanted to go [Tuesday]," Kelly said. "It just continued to tighten up. That's when we sent him for the MRI, and that's what they found on the MRI. Unfortunately, it stinks."

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.