What happened between the Pirates and Reds on Saturday might’ve been tough to comprehend. These teams have played a lot of wacky games over the years, but this one ranks right up there. Only it was marked by walks and offense, not fists.
Inside the Pirates clubhouse, there’s arguably nobody better to try and make sense of the Pirates’ 17-7 victory at PNC Park, as well as the transition from the Cardinals series to this, than Ryan O’Hearn.
He’s basically been back from the dead – a way he once described his MLB journey – and that similar to how the Pirates went from lousy against St. Louis to whatever it was 23,763 witnessed Saturday: 17 runs, 19 hits and 11 walks, plus a strong start from Carmen Mlodzinski.
“That's baseball,” O’Hearn said. “It's hard to describe. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to why you have the mojo, then lose the mojo. That’s why you have to keep everyone even-keeled.
“It’s a crazy game. A lot of stuff happens outside of your control, so we’re trying to focus on what we can control: having great at-bats, hitting the ball hard and playing hard.”
More than anything, that’s how I’m looking at this win, as well as the Pirates’ 9-1 victory on Friday. They stayed even-keeled and controlled what they could.
The negativity had ramped up after a five-game losing streak and that Cardinals sweep. But nobody inside the home clubhouse heard it. They played well Friday and did it with power. They did it again Saturday and capitalized on myriad Cincinnati mistakes, including 11 walks, the most for a Pirates team in five-plus years.
“If the other team's throwing balls, stay out of their way,” O’Hearn said. “A walk is as good as a hit. You get a couple guys on base, somebody gets a big hit, and the offense is rolling. It's always fun. The dugout gets rowdy. Everyone's locked in. Fun to put a lot of points on the board. Hopefully we just keep this mojo going.”
Three Pirates players had at least three RBIs, while Konnor Griffin enjoyed his first-ever four-hit game. It was an onslaught, and it just kept coming, leading to a series victory.
The Pirates’ avalanche of offense was unique in so ways, among them:
• Every Pirates player had at least one RBI, the first time that’s happened since Rennie Stennett had seven hits on Sept. Sept. 16, 1975.
• Seven players had multiple hits. Griffin led the way with four, including a double and a triple.
• O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna and Spencer Horwitz all had three RBIs, while Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds and O’Hearn scored three times apiece.
• The Pirates somehow managed to score 17 runs without hitting a home run.
“To have that offensive day without a home run is the type of offense we need to be,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “The home runs will happen. Really proud of the guys the way they continued to battle through. Everybody in the lineup contributed.”
Cincinnati issued seven straight walks in the second inning, something that hasn’t happened in a Major League game since May 25, 1983 – and ironically, it also involved the Pirates.
Pittsburgh pitchers Jim Bibby and Jim Winn combined for the unenviable feat in the bottom of the third inning of a 6-0 Pirates loss at Fulton County Stadium. The Pirates haven’t walked 11 times in a game since Sept. 26, 2021 at Philadelphia.
The Pirates’ walk in the [ballpark] started with a free pass issued to Gonzales, increasing Pittsburgh’s lead to 6-3. Ozuna, Horwitz and Griffin followed with walks that plated runs.
By the time Henry Davis reached on a fielder’s choice, the Pirates had extended their lead to 10-3.
As the Reds’ apparent strategy of pitching around the entire Pirates lineup backfired, Pittsburgh scored five runs on zero hits.
“I thought we had great at-bats and continued to do the things we’ve talked about: worked the count and passed the baton,” Kelly said. “Everyone was patient.”
Griffin growing
Don’t look now, but Griffin continues to get better and better. On second thought, go ahead and look. He’s been a lot of fun to watch.
Over his last 18 games: Griffin is hitting .313 with six extra-base hits, 11 RBIs, six stolen bases and seven runs scored. He’s no longer a weak link at the bottom of the lineup. He’s been a primary contributor, looking very much like the player the Pirates signed to a nine-year, $140 million contract.
“Just seeing it well,” Griffin said when asked about his success. “Trying to get a good swing off on a good pitch and just competing. That was a big win. Needed to win the series, and I’m glad to be able to do my part.”
It’s not a new take, but I love how the Pirates have brought Griffin along. He’s not counted upon to do everything. For a little while, especially as the contract was finalized, he was struggling.
But it’s clear the tools are there. He’s been able to make adjustments. And we’ve seen occasionally singles transform into gap-to-gap power, while the impressive defense has remained. Griffin has been oh-so-close to making several tremendous plays at shortstop.
“Just trusting my preparation, going out there and trying to be a tough out,” Griffin said. “It’s the same mindset I’ve had all year, but things are settling down a little bit. Training’s been really good. Just trusting my skills and letting the athlete in me take over.”
Big inning
After a rough defensive first for the Pirates, their bottom half was big. Lowe connected on a changeup out of the zone to knock in a run before O’Hearn tied it by jumping on a mistake slider from Cincinnati starter Rhett Lowder.
A bouncer to second from Gonzales pushed the Pirates in front, 4-2, and Ozuna extended the lead with a well-struck double, smashing an elevated sinker into left at 105.8 mph.
The final run of the inning came courtesy of Griffin, who ripped a double to left on a hanging slider. That gave the Pirates a 5-2 lead that would soon grow much larger.
“It’s something we can learn from as we go through the season,” Kelly said. “When we’ve been really good offensively and had those big innings, it’s usually because we’ve been patient, stayed in the middle of the plate, the middle of the field and continued to trust the guy behind us.”
Mlodzinski’s response
While it’s easy to talk about the team bouncing back from a miserable series, Mlodzinski had his own redemptive effort. This past Sunday in Milwaukee wasn’t good.
Furthermore, Mlodzinski allowed a total of four earned runs over his first four starts but gave up nine in his past two prior to Saturday.
This was more like that first grouping, along with 10 strikeouts – matching Mlodzinski’s career-best in professional baseball (Majors or Minors). The Pirates right-hander gave up five earned runs but nearly completed six innings.
It was especially impressive considering the Cardinals had four extra-base hits, including a homer, off Mlodzinski the first time through the order. Then, he settled in, the opposite of how his outings have typically gone.
“I'm happy the way that I responded after the first two innings,” said Mlodzinski, who chalked up a lot of his success to first-pitch strikes. “There's obviously room to grow, but definitely happy the way I bounced back. Take away one or two pitches, that's probably the best outing of my career.”
Mlodzinski, who didn’t exactly have stellar defense behind him, threw 101 pitches, 67 for strikes. He became the third straight pitcher to reach triple digits in pitches thrown.
Around the horn
Chris Devenski was ejected in the seventh inning for apparently throwing at Reds second baseman Sal Stewart. It was the first time a Pirates pitcher has been ejected since Aroldis Chapman on April 15, 2024 at Citi Field. … Reynolds picked up his 200th career double in the third inning. … The Pirates had three five-run innings, the fourth time in team history that’s happened and the first time since 1912. You read that right.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.