Reynolds showing knack for clutch homers: 'He's our best player'

PITTSBURGH -- Kyle Nicolas knew he had to stay locked in and calm. His day wasn’t done yet, and he had to throw another inning.

But as Bryan Reynolds sent that Slade Cecconi fastball a Statcast-projected 405 feet into the Pittsburgh night, he wanted to freak out like the fans at PNC Park.

“Hearing the crowd go crazy like that, such a big spot in the game, it was awesome,” Nicolas said, beaming. “He's come through for us in so many ways this year. Can't really say I'm surprised, but it was fun."

Rain had forced starter Mitch Keller out after four innings, so someone needed to step up on offense. Joey Bart got the day started with a home run, but it was Reynolds’ two-run shot in the sixth that won it, leading to a 4-2 Pirates win over the Diamondbacks.

It’s the type of swing the Pirates needed in a pivotal moment in a game that could have playoff implications. And if they’re in a spot like that, they want Reynolds up there.

“I mean, he's our best player,” manager Derek Shelton said. “And he exemplifies that every night the way he plays. When he gets hot, he can carry us for bits. And I think the important thing is having those big moments and being able to stay in control."

Saturday was hardly the first time Reynolds has come through in a clutch spot this season. Over the past two months, Reynolds has hit 11 of his 19 home runs. Six of those homers broke a tie, while another two erased a deficit and tied the game. On the season, the Pirates are 12-6 when he homers.

“He doesn't let the at-bat get too big, and I think we saw it there,” Shelton said. “I mean, he worked the at-bat to 3-2, got the pitch he could drive.”

“Nothing gets too big for him,” Keller said. “He’s just a solid hitter. We’ve all seen that over the years. He’s just a special player, and we can always count on him to do something special for us.”

And on a night like Saturday, the Pirates needed that boost. After failing to complete a big comeback Friday, they couldn’t maximize Keller’s outing due to a 68-minute rain delay. He looked sharp, and originally, the delay was anticipated to be only about 15 minutes, which would allow him to resume. But as the rain kept coming, it became clear that Shelton would have to go to the bullpen.

“Right as they pulled it, I looked at the clock and knew what time it was,” Keller said. “I was just hoping for updates and whatever you get. There’s nothing you can do about it, so you try to hang in there and stay focused.”

Dennis Santana took the ball in the fifth and promptly loaded the bases before Shelton went to newcomer Jalen Beeks. The veteran lefty was inheriting the worst situation possible for a reliever -- the bases loaded, nobody out and the top of the order up -- but he managed to escape with minimal damage, just allowing an RBI walk to Joc Pederson with two outs.

“That was probably the main reason we won tonight,” Nicolas said. “He deserves a lot of credit there. That's not an easy spot to be put in. He made the best of it."

Nicolas then went two scoreless frames following Beeks, Reynolds played the hero and David Bednar locked down his 20th save of the season to prevent a three-game losing streak, which would have been a big blow to the Pirates’ playoff odds.

• Nicolas pitching with more confidence in Majors

That’s what they’ve been striving towards all season: Getting back into October. There was many a Saturday in August during the rebuilding years where Keller and Reynolds played in front of much smaller crowds than the 35,515 who were there Saturday. A game like this was a taste of what they were building towards.

“They’re in front of us in the Wild Card,” Keller said of the D-backs. “Every game matters. This is the type of game we want to be playing every single night. Every single game matters. Every team we play matters. It’s a lot more fun than the other version of that.”