PITTSBURGH -- Agony has defined the last week. Close losses. Walk-off losses. Losing is never fun, and losing in bunches drains. But winning? Winning heals. Winning never fails to feel good, and on Thursday, the Buccos strode into their clubhouse following an evening of battle feeling pretty dang good.

Bryan Reynolds bopped two homers, the latter being the 3,000th in PNC Park’s history, JT Brubaker orchestrated seven shutout frames and the Pirates defeated the Red Sox, 8-2. The six-game losing streak was snapped. The vibrations, if for but a night, were phenomenal.

“We played well in all facets of the game, so I think it was important,” said manager Derek Shelton. “During that streak, we had played well in some games and not been able to finish, so it was nice that we were able to get out to a lead and then continue to hold on. It feels nice.”

Brubaker and Reynolds crafted the foundation of a victory with a picturesque first inning, one that perfectly mirrored that of Wednesday.

Brubaker, as Roansy Contreras did Wednesday night, efficiently retired the side in the frame’s top half. In the bottom half, Reynolds, once again, followed up Kevin Newman’s table-setting single with a tone-setting two-run home run. That’s where the similarities between Wednesday and Thursday ended.

Wednesday's game devolved into a mostly forgettable six-run loss. Thursday, the Pirates never lost steam. Brubaker kept shoving. Reynolds kept mashing.

In the fifth inning, Reynolds ambushed Red Sox starter Josh Winckowski’s get-it-in, middle-middle 3-0 sinker and blasted his second homer of the evening. The long ball was Reynolds’s fourth in his last four games, and the 3,000th in this cathedral’s history. That piece of history may have belonged to someone else had Reynolds stuck with his original approach.

“I got the green light,” Reynolds said. “I wasn’t going to swing, and then as he started to throw, I was like, ‘You know what? Let’s just go for it.’ If it’s a ball, hopefully I don’t swing. It was a good pitch to do it on.”

That run support was plenty for Brubaker, especially on an evening where he was machete-sharp. Brubaker not only blanked the Red Sox across seven innings, but struck out seven batters to no walks. He allowed three baserunners, which came by way of two singles and a hit-by-pitch. Brubaker bullied Boston’s bats with his sinker, which generated a career-high 20 called strikes plus whiffs. He ranked this gem as his brightest, an outing that could have been even better if not for a slight ailment.

Brubaker’s evening, through no fault of his own, ended prematurely. He developed a blister on his right hand during the sixth inning, and after finishing the seventh, Shelton played the caution card. At 84 pitches, Shelton pulled Brubaker. If not for the blister, Brubaker was in great position to finish the eighth, if not go for gusto: a complete game. Brubaker, understandably, expressed a bit of discontent at his body’s betrayal.

“It's just more of a, 'This couldn't have come at a worse time,’” Brubaker said. “Little frustrated that it festered, but nothing that will keep me off the mound.”

That blister was the only real gripe on a night like Thursday. Behind Brubaker’s arm and Reynold’s bat, the Pirates are back in the win column, and wins feel mighty good.