Pirates' 7th-frame pop propels way to win

PITTSBURGH -- Following an 11-run outburst Friday night, the Pirates’ offense went virtually silent through the first six innings of Saturday afternoon’s game with Cleveland at PNC Park.

Then, the Pirates put up a lopsided number in the seventh inning and rode it to a 6-3 win over the Indians and their second series victory this month.

The big knocks on Saturday came from opposite ends of the lineup: One from a batter who sees more bench time than starting time, and another who is an everyday threat on a blazing tear.

Michael Perez, who was acquired off waivers by the Pirates this offseason, got off to a woeful start offensively with his new ballclub. Through his first 16 games, Perez hit a meager 4-for-47 (.085), and three of those hits came in one game in Minnesota, where he fell a triple shy of the cycle.

However, the backup backstop has begun to find a bit more consistency with his bat in recent days, even without necessarily getting consistent starting time. Over the past 11 games, he has cut his strikeout rate drastically and delivered six extra-base hits among his 8-for-32 showing.

Despite having less than half the at-bats that starting catcher Jacob Stallings has seen, Perez is tied for third on the Pirates (with Stallings) in home runs with five.

“I’m making sure that I'm staying on top of the ball,” Perez said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez. “Hopefully, they make a mistake; and if they don't, I'm sticking to my plan. The results are showing that I'm executing on the plan."

The Pirates’ coaching staff has been cognizant of the fact that it can be hard for a backup catcher to stay sharp if he doesn’t get game reps. Stallings’ overall production advantage vs. Perez, plus a lot of scheduled days off in the first two months, made it hard to find those spots. But with more games of late, Perez has been able to have more of a routine.

“When you're the backup catcher, especially early in the year with a lot of off-days, you don’t get at-bats,” manager Derek Shelton said. “So we've tried to get him more opportunities so he has the ability to get his timing.”

On the other side is Bryan Reynolds, who said earlier this season he didn’t think his pace of home runs was sustainable. But as of Saturday, he hasn’t cooled off yet.

Reynolds is hitting for average (.316) and power (.642 SLG) over his past 27 games, and in that span, he’s blasted nine home runs. His 12th homer this season came against James Karinchak, as Reynolds turned on a center-cut fastball and sent it on a bounce into the Allegheny River.

“I feel good up there,” Reynolds said. “I feel like timing is good and all that good stuff, so I’m just trying to keep it rolling and keep putting the barrel on the ball more than anything.”

But those two couldn’t do it alone Saturday. Shelton stressed the need to create more run-scoring opportunities during the Pirates’ recent 10-game losing streak, and it showed up in the seventh inning. The Bucs’ batters drew six walks, which is the most that the franchise has drawn in one frame since April 13, 1976, when Pittsburgh also took six free passes against the Cardinals.

So which one would Shelton rather see: Two homers in a game from a club that has struggled to consistently go deep, or six walks from a team that needs a more consistent amount of baserunners?

“I’ll take both of them. Can I get greedy?” Shelton said. “Six walks gives you so many opportunities to score. I like when they’re mixed in between homers, though. I will take that.”