SAN FRANCISCO -- The Pirates, fresh off taking two of three games from the Giants -- one of baseball’s hottest teams -- will enter June with a 28-27 record. Given how the last two seasons have unfolded, being one game above .500 at this point is no small feat. Record alone, however, doesn’t quite encapsulate the extreme ebbs and flows of this season thus far.

The Pirates concluded an eventful, rocky and tumultuous May by defeating the Giants, 9-4, on Wednesday at Oracle Park, claiming their first series victory of the month just as the month comes to an end. 

“I think if you asked anybody, they would’ve signed up for that,” said Bryan Reynolds. “Obviously, after our start, it’s not what you would’ve liked, but if you take a step back and look at [our record], it’s a pretty good start for us. Just have to build off these last two and have a better June than we had in May.”

Following their blistering start, it seemed almost like an afterthought that the Pirates would enter summer’s first month with a winning record. Then, the losses began piling up with a quickness.

The Pirates opened the month by being swept by the Rays and Blue Jays. Their only two wins in their next two series came when Mitch Keller shoved, throwing his first shutout against the Rockies and accumulating 13 strikeouts across seven innings against the Orioles. After splitting a two-game set against the Tigers, the Pirates took just one game apiece during their three-game sets against the Diamondbacks, Rangers and Mariners.

At the end of April, Pittsburgh’s record was 20-9. Coming into San Francisco, the record stood at 26-26. 

Along with the losses, the Pirates could be without Vince Velasquez for quite some time. After missing several weeks due to right elbow inflammation, Velasquez left his first start off the injured list due to right elbow discomfort. Velasquez is optimistic he will pitch again this season, but per director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, it’s too early to tell whether that will be the case.

On Monday, the Pirates dipped below .500 for the first time since April 2 with a 14-4 loss, their largest margin of defeat this season. Given how well the Giants have played in recent weeks, another series defeat was well within the realm of possibility. At the 11th hour, the Pirates mustered the moxie to win their first series since late April.

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh got back to .500 behind a fantastic performance by the bullpen to preserve a one-run lead. On Wednesday, the offense made life far easier for the pitching staff compared to the day prior, setting the tone with a four-run third inning against Alex Wood and building from there. Keller wasn’t his typical sharp self, allowing four runs on 10 hits, but the offense created enough of a cushion to compensate.

"There's going to be times when you go through little spurts where things aren't going your way,” said third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. “I think just trying to get back to our identity, having good at-bats. The thing we've been saying lately is 'single 'em to death, take your walks, take care of the ball on defense.' I think it's really huge for us. I feel like that's our identity."

To Andrew McCutchen, experiencing a month like this is actually a blessing in disguise.

“We struggled in May, but it’s a win if you ask me,” McCutchen said. “Would you rather have those struggles in May? Or would you rather have those struggles in September, when you’re trying to push for a playoff spot? It’s something we learn from. You learn, grow through. Two months in the books, I feel pretty good about where we are.”

Added Keller, “I think we came out really hot and a lot of things were falling our way and then I think we ran into some trouble. We weren’t getting the bounces, we weren’t getting the calls, whatever it may be. I think it snowballed on us a little bit. I think it took us a couple weeks to re-group and take a deep breath and everyone to step back and find what their role is. ‘What do I do best? What do you do best?’ I think we’re getting through that here. I think we’re playing really good baseball. The sky’s the limit for us.”