Bryan Reynolds' four-RBI night helps Pirates snap four-game losing streak, beat Brewers

For a team that was offensively scuffling, Derek Shelton sure was confident the Pittsburgh Pirates would rediscover the timing on their swings sometime soon.

The rookie manager preached patience and positivity while predicting that the hard-hit balls by struggling hitters such as Bryan Reynolds eventually would pay off.

Reynolds went 3 for 4 with four RBIs, hitting a homer to tie the score, a single to drive in the go-ahead run in the three-run fourth inning and a two-run triple as the Pirates pulled away for a 7-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night at PNC Park.

“He broke out by taking really good swings on the right pitches,” Shelton said. “He’s gone through a difficult part to start the season but this guy is going to hit.”

Chad Kuhl (1-1) earned his first victory since June 25, 2018, a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds 10 days before he suffered the right elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery and sidelined him last season. Kuhl allowed one run on two hits and three walks with one strikeout in five innings.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Pirates (5-17), who beat the Brewers for the second time this season. They also won 8-6 on July 28 at PNC Park.

The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Ben Gamel hit Kuhl’s 2-2 pitch to right-center for a home run, but Reynolds tied it by driving Adrian Houser’s 2-1 pitch over the middle 398 feet into the right-field seats in the bottom of the second for his second homer of the season.

“Yeah, my timing felt right, but I have been getting outside of myself and maybe trying to do too much and make up too much ground,” said Reynolds, who was batting .174 (12 for 69) through the first 21 games. “That’s tough. And yeah, I just need to stay inside myself and get a good pitch to hit and not chase, which is the name of the game.

The Pirates got nine hits in seven innings against right-hander Houser, including four consecutive to start the fourth. Josh Bell hit a leadoff single that was followed by hits by Colin Moran and Reynolds, who drove in Bell for the go-ahead run.

Reynolds hit a liner that ricocheted off Houser’s glove and bounced to shortstop Orlando Arcia, whose errant throw allowed Moran to take third and Reynolds to advance to second. Gregory Polanco drove one to left to score Moran for a 3-1 lead, and Cole Tucker beat out a grounder to Arcia to drive in Reynolds and give the Pirates a 4-1 edge.

“It’s big. You all saw what he did last year,” Moran said of Reynolds, who batted .314 as a rookie. “It’s taking him a little bit of time to get going. Once he gets going, he’s one of the best in the league.”

After allowing two hits and three walks in five innings, Kuhl was replaced by lefty Sam Howard, who gave up a two-out single to Gamel and walked Omar Narvaez before being replaced by righty Geoff Hartlieb. Luis Urias drew a walk to load the bases for Brock Holt, but Hartlieb got him to ground into a fielder’s choice at second.

Christian Yelich homered to left off Richard Rodriguez in the eighth for his seventh home run of the season to cut it to 4-2, but the Brewers were vocal in their displeasure with home plate umpire Nic Lentz calling Gamel out on strikes on a letters-high fastball.

Bell’s pop fly to shallow right field dropped between Holt and Urias to start the eighth. When Moran bunted down the third-base line to beat the shift, it put runners on first and second for Reynolds, who responded with a two-run triple to the North Side Notch off Alex Claudio for a 6-2 lead. Reynolds then scored on Cole Tucker’s single.

The game ended on a sour note when closer Keone Kela surrendered a single to Urias to start the ninth, then drew a mound visit by Shelton, pitching coach Oscar Marin and head athletic trainer Bryan Housand after his first pitch to Holt. Kela left the game and was replaced by Tyler Bashlor, who got Holt to ground into a double play and Arcia to ground out to third to end the game.

Shelton said Kela was removed as a precautionary measure because of forearm tightness, considering that the bullpen already has lost five pitchers to injuries this season.

“I didn’t really give him the option,” Shelton said. “When he said he tightened up, I said, ‘Give me the ball.’”