ST. LOUIS -- When Bryan Reynolds breaks down his swing, he doesn’t really focus much on the stat-heavy details like bat speed, launch angle or swing plane. For him, it’s all about timing.

Right now, the timing is as right as it’s ever been. And it might be just in time to earn All-Star consideration.

Reynolds cranked a three-run homer to the Cardinals’ bullpen in right field, turning a close game into a rout to fuel an 8-2 win in Thursday’s series opener at Busch Stadium. He also had two singles and drew a walk.

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Reynolds got a cookie from Carlos Martínez for his team-leading 13th home run of the season. The Cardinals right-hander, who struggled with command all night, left a mid-80s changeup right down the pipe, and Reynolds made easy work of it for a Statcast-estimated 404 feet.

“I was just trying to get something up in the zone, and he hung a changeup a little bit and I recognized it and was able to put the barrel on it,” Reynolds said.

Catcher Jacob Stallings said Reynolds told him he felt like all he was hitting were homers. Stallings told reporters that on June 3. Since then, Reynolds has slugged six more in 19 games with plenty of hits and walks around them.

Whether or not Reynolds thinks this pace is sustainable, his results are showing that, at least for a couple of months, it can be.

“I think this year, he came into Spring Training and stayed consistent throughout,” manager Derek Shelton said. “He's just trying to hit the ball hard, and I definitely think we're seeing the benefits of that."

What is sustainable, as Reynolds has proved over his career, is the pure hitting prowess. The switch-hitter has jumped back over the .300 batting average mark after having a highly uncharacteristic .189 average in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He’s also on a nine-game hitting streak, with 17 hits over that span.

When comparing Reynolds’ production to other outfielders, it doesn’t matter if he is in the National League or American League -- he simply stands out. Entering Thursday, his 154 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) was fifth in the Majors among outfielders, and it’s sure to have grown with Thursday's performance. Those numbers have heated up in June, too. Reynolds’ 186 wRC+ in June ties him with Tony Kemp, trailing only Cedric Mullins, Andrew McCutchen and Justin Upton among all outfielders.

Beyond that, the all-around game for Reynolds is strong. After moving from left field to center field, where Reynolds said he feels most comfortable, early in the season. He had two outs above average, which, while not exceptional for a center fielder, shows he’s been able to make both the routine plays with a few phenomenal plays mixed in.

Though he doesn’t steal bases, Reynolds has been able to leg out the few infield grounders he’s hit this season with a well-above-average 28.3 feet/second average sprint speed. He showed that threat once again in the eighth inning on Thursday, when he turned a 52.2 mph chopper two-thirds of the way to third base into an easy infield single.

When you put all the parts together, headlined by the blazing bat that has shown last year’s struggles were a fluke, it’s hard to deny he’s in the All-Star conversation.

“Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything else to prove,” Shelton said.

The Pirates center fielder did not appear among the top choices in the second round of voting updates for Phase 1 of All-Star fan vote balloting. However, even if he doesn’t make it to Phase 2 -- which will be announced Sunday -- his incredible production at the plate this season will certainly give him a case in player balloting and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office for the position-player reserves.

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There’s still hope for the Pirates, who also should see Adam Frazier -- who also homered on Thursday -- as a strong All-Star candidate.

“He shows up every night and does something special,” Frazier said of Reynolds. “That's the definition of an All-Star.”

“I think everybody, when they were growing up, dreamed of that, so it would be awesome,” Reynolds said. “It’s out of my control, so if I am, I am. If I’m not, I’m not. But it would be cool, for sure.”