Ben Gamel homers twice, has career-high 6 RBIs as Pirates pummel Braves

Even though Ben Gamel was amid a career-best performance, when the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder heard the M-V-P chants from the left field bleachers at PNC Park, he thought they were directed at someone else.

“I thought they were for Bryan (Reynolds) in center,” a smiling Gamel said of his All-Star teammate.

Gamel went 3 for 5 with two homers to dead center sandwiched around a double for a career-high six RBIs, and Chase De Jong earned his first major league win in three years as the Pirates clobbered the Atlanta Braves, 11-1, Monday night before 11,600 at PNC Park.

The Pirates’ 14-hit parade overshadowed a milestone victory for De Jong, who is pitching for his fourth major league team and reinvented himself while playing independent baseball during the pandemic.

Gamel and De Jong were teammates with Seattle in 2017 and have taken circuitous paths to become Pirates, so the pitcher was thrilled that Gamel’s big game came on what he considered such a special night.

“To see him have the night that he had, I always pull for him, and I love that he was hitting the ball so well against Milwaukee for us, too,” De Jong said of Gamel. “I told him that. Just guys in our position that have been with multiple teams and kind of been that grinder guy that bounces around, to have the success that he’s had in this last stretch, I mean, how do you not pull for him? It’s awesome.”

It was the second consecutive win for the Pirates (31-53), who topped double-digit runs for the second time this season (they beat Cleveland, 11-10, on June 18) and scored more than two runs for the first time since a 7-2 win at St. Louis on June 27.

The 14 hits tied for the second-most of the season for the Pirates with a 7-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on April 11, behind a 15-hit effort in an 8-6 win over the San Francisco Giants on May 15. It was even more meaningful, given that the Braves (41-43) had beaten them by a combined 33-3 in their last three meetings, including 20-1 on May 21.

“There’s definitely a sense of relief,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “It kind of snowballs. We’re talking about one of the best teams in the National League. We got going, and we just continued to have good at-bats and continued to execute. That’s a really good sign for us.”

It was the second career multi-homer game for Gamel, who also homered twice with Milwaukee in a 9-1 win over Philadelphia on May 26, 2019. Gamel is 8 for 18 (.444) with two doubles, four homers and eight RBIs in his past five games.

“I was really happy with Ben Gamel’s night,” Shelton said. “Two home runs to dead center. That was impressive.”

The Pirates also got a nice starting debut by John Nogowski, who was acquired in a trade Saturday from St. Louis. Starting at first base and batting fifth — just ahead of Gamel in the order — Nogowski went 2 for 4 with a walk, RBI single and three runs scored.

“That was the kind of start we were hoping for,” Nogowski said. “It’s a long season, one game, but definitely something to build off of. Ben had an incredible game. Just trying to set the table for him, as locked in as he is. Just have good at-bats, try to wear that guy down. Definitely worked out.”

And Ke’Bryan Hayes snapped out of his hitting slump — he was 1 for 22 in his previous seven games (six starts) — with a single in the sixth and a two-run home run in the eighth.

A day after Tyler Anderson threw seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over Milwaukee, De Jong (1-3) allowed one run on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in five innings to earn his first win since a 12-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 28, 2018, when the right-hander was with the Minnesota Twins.

“I’m pretty emotional right now,” De Jong said. “Two different independent ball stints, multiple organizations, up and down, just fighting and grinding for all this. I mean, three years between major league wins for me.

“This was a pretty special night, and to grind through the first, be able to get through that and then cover five and not put a huge burden on the bullpen tonight, that’s what I was really proud of. And then at the end of it, obviously having the win, it’s really special. My boy was in the stands. My wife was in the stands. This was a really special night.”

The Braves got off to a good start when Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a leadoff single to center. Freddie Freeman followed with a double to right that eluded the grasp of Phillip Evans, who bobbled the ball. His error allowed Acuna to score for a 1-0 Atlanta lead.

De Jong walked Austin Riley and hit Guillermo Heredia with a pitch to load the bases with two outs before getting Orlando Arcia to line out to shortstop Kevin Newman.

De Jong escaped another jam in the third, when Reynolds and left fielder Ben Gamel misplayed a Freeman fly to the North Side Notch. The ball bounced between them and over the left field fence for a ground rule double. Freeman advanced to third on an Ozzie Albies fly to center, and Riley drew another walk to put runners on the corners with one out. But De Jong got Dansby Swanson to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.

Braves starter Max Fried (5-5) wasn’t as fortunate. A day after providing a two-out pinch-hit single for a 10-inning walk-off win over Miami, the left-hander was chsaed after he gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks on 91 pitches. Fried struggled in the sixth, as the Pirates opened with four consecutive hits on their way to scoring four runs.

The Pirates left two runners in scoring position in the third, when Evans hit a leadoff single and advanced to second on De Jong’s sacrifice bunt. Adam Frazier drew a walk and both runners advanced when Hayes flew out to right and Acuna’s rocket of a throw from the corner to third base bounced past Riley’s glove. Fried, however, struck out Reynolds to end the inning.

In the fourth inning, Nogowski battled through an 11-pitch at bat against Fried, fouling off six breaking balls before drawing a full-count walk. Gamel drove a 3-1 fastball 421 feet to dead center for a two-run home run, his fifth of the season and third in the past five games, to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.

De Jong got out of another jam in the fifth, stranding two runners even as his pitch count climbed to 91. With activity in the bullpen, pitching coach Oscar Marin visited the mound but allowed De Jong to face Riley, who had drawn a pair of walks. De Jong threw a slider to get Riley to fly out to deep center on the first pitch.

Nogowski got his first RBI with a single to left to score Reynolds, Gamel doubled to score Stallings, and Evans grounded out to score Nogowski for a 5-1 lead.

Edgar Santana replaced Fried, and Gamel scored on a wild pitch for a 6-1 lead. The Pirates batted around the order and had the bases loaded with two outs when Reynolds struck out to end the inning.

Stallings and Nogowski started the seventh with singles before Gamel drove Josh Tomlin’s first pitch 412 feet to center for his second homer and a 9-1 lead. Hayes drove in Frazier with his fourth homer of the season, a 374-foot shot to right field, to make it 11-1.

“I don’t think we missed our pitches. I think the scoreboard reflects that,” Gamel said. “I think if you go through the at-bats all night long that kind of reflects that too. We didn’t miss the fastball tonight. Didn’t the miss the breaking ball tonight. We were just finding barrels.”