PHILADELPHIA – It might have been lost in the shuffle during the Pirates’ 9-8 win over the Reds on Sunday at PNC Park, but perhaps the most important play took place between first and second base.

After hitting a one-out single to right field in the eighth inning, rookie shortstop Kevin Newman stole second base. Bryan Reynolds then struck out, but Newman put himself in position to score when a fan interfered with Starling Marte’s double to right-center. That gave the Pirates a two-run lead, and it wound up being the difference in the game, after Felipe Vazquez allowed a leadoff homer in the ninth.

“The stolen base still plays,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “Newman doesn’t steal the base yesterday, where do we end up in that game?”

The Pirates don’t have the power to rely on home runs to bail them out. They entered Monday with 137 homers, the fourth-lowest total in the Majors ahead of the Royals, Tigers and Marlins. So don’t be surprised if they try to use their speed to their advantage on the bases in an effort to produce more runs.

The Pirates tried to run on Monday, but they might have picked the wrong opposing catcher to get aggressive against. Phillies star J.T. Realmuto threw out three would-be basestealers in Pittsburgh’s 6-5 loss in 11 innings at Citizens Bank Park, increasing his Major League-leading total -- by a wide margin -- to 39.

Hurdle recently moved Newman up to the leadoff spot, and the Pirates' coaching staff is trusting the rookie to be more aggressive on the bases. They have a proven stolen-base threat in Marte, and a number of other players -- including Reynolds and Adam Frazier -- grade out average or better in terms of Sprint Speed, according to Statcast.

“We need to take some risks,” Hurdle said. “Now, that’s a calculated risk. When they don’t work, everybody throws their hands up in the air -- ‘How can you give up an out? You only get 27 of them!’ I get it. However, the numbers tell you against left-handed pitching we’ve hit this much, we’re scoring this many runs a game. How do we do better?

“How do we find ways to put people in movement? Maybe to get an infielder vacating a position to open up some holes. Just try to be creative, and running action still can help.”

Familiar faces

Considering the number of former Pirates who are now part of the Phillies' organization, pregame batting practice on Monday felt like a scaled-down family reunion. Andrew McCutchen and reliever Juan Nicasio are on Philadelphia’s injured list, but former Pirates Sean Rodriguez, Jared Hughes and Corey Dickerson were all active for the series opener at Citizens Bank Park.

Dickerson was in the starting lineup, batting cleanup against Joe Musgrove.

“Trying to get healthy, just focus on being me, doing the small things,” said Dickerson, who was traded on July 31. “Playing over here with [Bryce] Harper and some guys with bigger names, you just kind of go about your day and do your thing. … When the common goal is to win and everybody’s on the same page, you don’t really feel that pressure. You kind of just let things happen.”

On Monday, there were as many members of Pittsburgh’s 2015 National League Wild Card team in the Phillies’ clubhouse (McCutchen, Hughes and Rodriguez) as there were in the Pirates’ clubhouse (Marte, Francisco Liriano and Elias Diaz).

“That’s good stuff, because we got to reminisce,” Rodriguez said. “They’re all still just as hungry to win as they’ve ever been.”

Vazquez rushed across the field during batting practice to hug Rodriguez, who played for the Pirates from 2015-18. Late last August, the Bucs designated Rodriguez for assignment. Rodriguez said he has no hard feelings toward Hurdle, general manager Neal Huntington or anyone else with Pittsburgh.

“The way things ended, obviously, was bittersweet. At the moment, I was bitter, but we’re here now,” Rodriguez said. “Playing time has been scarce, but I’m on a winning team and I’m able to contribute in any and every facet. It’s a blessing. Still doing what I love to do. Still feel like I can keep doing it. It’s not wearing me out yet.”

Around the horn

• Josh Bell was out of the starting lineup on Monday for the first time since his three-day break to “unplug” from Aug. 6-8. It was “just a day down” for Bell with lefty Jason Vargas on the mound, Hurdle said. Bell will return to the lineup on Tuesday looking for better results against lefty Drew Smyly, as the All-Star first baseman is slashing just .218/.301/.427 against left-handed pitchers this season.

• With a little more than a month to go, the Pirates began their end-of-season meetings on Monday afternoon. Hurdle and Huntington met for more than an hour to discuss a number of topics. In early September, the GM and manager will begin their annual exit interviews with every player on the roster.

• Pirates No. 2-ranked prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes was named the International League Player of the Week on Monday, after going 12-for-23 with a homer, a double, four RBIs, four runs scored and a 1.238 OPS last week for Triple-A Indianapolis. Hayes is hitting .262/.331/.416 with 10 homers in 106 games for Indianapolis, and his .988 fielding percentage is the highest among all professional third basemen.