CINCINNATI — Moments after a frustrating Opening Day loss, the Pirates entered the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field when Justin Lawrence heard something that struck him.
It was Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.”
Don’t worry about a thing
‘Cause every little gonna be alright
Fast-forward to Wednesday. As the Pirates packed up from Cincinnati following an 8-3 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park, the vibe was decidedly different: lights flashing and the thump of techno music after toppling a divisional rival.
How the Pirates started this trip versus how it concluded should serve as a lesson in patience.
“I remember kind of chuckling to myself [last Thursday] like, ‘No, we don’t have to worry. It’s the first game of the season,’” Lawrence said. “You can’t hang your head. We’re so early in the season. As long as you can have some fun with it and bounce back, you’ll be fine.”
That’s exactly what the Pirates (3-3) did in this one. Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds homered -- again. Nick Gonzales finished with two hits, including two-run single in a four-run ninth. But the biggest story was Paul Skenes getting back on track with five innings of one-run ball, the Pirates ace striking out five.
Not that anyone should’ve doubted it.
“Still a work in progress,” Skenes said. “But nice to give some volume and be out there for more than two-thirds of an inning.”
With the home opener in Pittsburgh finally on the horizon, here are my nine observations from the win:
• For a second consecutive night, this is why you ride it out with Cruz, who crushed a 2-1 curveball down 407 feet at 107.4 mph. It again came off a left-handed pitcher (Andrew Abbott).
Cruz is five for seven against southpaws this season after hitting .102 (11-for-108) when facing them last season.
“He worked so hard this offseason on hitting left-handers,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Showed it earlier in spring and showed it again [Wednesday].”
Cruz is hitting .304 with a 1.029 OPS. The plays from Opening Day certainly need to be made. Still true. But Cruz in Cincinnati showed how different this team can be when he’s producing.
He’s hitting lefties. He’s hitting period. Just have to give it some time. Hopefully something sticks.
• For a team that couldn’t hit homers last year, the Pirates have hit plenty of them through six games. In fact, as of this writing, they were tied with the Angels for the MLB lead with 10.
Reynolds blasted a four-seamer 413 feet at 107.7 mph in the ninth for his 140th career homer, moving him into 140th place all-time in Pirates history. He, too, got right at Great American Ball Park, where his 14 homers since 2019 are the most of any visiting player.
“First series was tough,” Reynolds said. “But we bounced back and beat the Reds and now get to come home with some momentum.”
• This was much more like it for Skenes, who generated 11 whiffs by relying primarily on four-seamers, sinkers and changeups.
Skenes walked the leadoff man (TJ Friedl) but quickly recalibrated by striking out the next two. The right-hander was around the zone a bunch (51 of 77 for strikes) and looked like his typical, dominant self.
“Felt pretty good,” Skenes said. “Felt good in the bullpen. Felt good throughout the game. Not a huge concern there.”
• It starts with starting pitching. Over the past five games, Pirates starters have an ERA of 1.75. Another wild one: Skenes ran his scoreless innings streak up to 31 against the Reds before Eugenio Suarez’s double. That’s the fourth-longest for a Pirates pitcher against one opponent since 1961.
• Another solid effort from Pirates relievers. After Mason Montgomery struggled some, Isaac Mattson calmed things down in the sixth and worked a 1-2-3 seventh. Lawrence and Gregory Soto helped the Pirates retire the final 10.
“I felt really good,” Lawrence said. “Obviously, you're not going to feel that way every day. But for me, the biggest thing is when I'm able to attack the zone with my sinker [and] fastball. It just opens everything up with the sweeper.”
The pitch, when it’s on, is borderline unfair.
• Lawrence probably had the toughest situation of any reliever, facing 3-4-5 in Cincinnati’s lineup: Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart and Nathaniel Lowe. No problem. In two innings here, Lawrence faced six hitters, retired all of them and struck out four.
Between Lawrence, Mattson, Dennis Santana and Soto, it’s exactly how the back end should look.
• Nick Gonzales is off to an underrated start. With the Pirates need to create separation, he turned on an inside splitter to raise his average to .333 on the season.
Said it in Spring Training and it bears repeating now: If Gonzales hits, he’ll play. So far so good.
• Vibes are sky high with this group right now. It started Tuesday with the orange traffic cone, which Jake Mangum and Billy Cook assured me would be coming back to Pittsburgh.
Not only that, Skenes’ postgame scrum turned into a funny back-and-forth with Mangum over the birthday cake Skenes ordered in Spring Training, telling everyone Mangum did it for himself.
“May 26 is right around the corner,” Mangum said, incorrectly identifying Skenes’ birthday. (It’s May 29)
“You don’t even know my birthday,” Skenes said.
Mangum: “When is it?”
Skenes: “That’s embarrassing.”
Mangum: “It’s late May.”
Skenes: ”He’ll just keep guessing.”
Mangum: "I already have the cake picked out and everything."
Skenes: “[Heck] yeah. Get a cake. Just hope it’s chocolate.”
Earlier, Skenes praised his teammates and needled Mangum, who was listening nearby.
"Mangum, I still don’t know about him," Skenes said. "Ordering a cake for yourself? That’s a little weird."
A healthy amount of fun with this group right now.
• In all seriousness … OK, it’s still not that serious.
Something seemed to happen in Cincinnati. A switch flipped. The Pirates took a deep breath and relaxed.
Everything felt so tight in New York. But now, for whatever reason -- maybe Cruz and Reynolds, the pitching or the dang cone -- this is more like the team we saw in Spring Training.
“Dude, it’s great,” Kelly said. “It's Pittsburgh. [The cone] was their idea. The players are embracing it, I hope the fans do. I certainly am having a blast. 'Coneheads' or the welder hood, let’s keep hitting and winning baseball games.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.