TORONTO -- A trip back to his old stomping grounds yielded the best performance of Rowdy Tellez’s tenure with the Pirates. But three hits and four RBIs weren't enough, as Pittsburgh was handed a 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

The Pirates had plenty of opportunities to score early, putting five men on base in the first two innings alone and stranding 13 men on base, but Tellez was the only one to pick up hits with runners in scoring position. A third-inning base hit with two outs put the Pirates on the board, and a fifth-inning two-run double gave the club a 3-1 lead.

But that didn't last long, as Quinn Priester handed the ball over to Hunter Stratton with two outs in the fifth and Daniel Vogelbach would put the Blue Jays in front with a two-run double. Stratton allowed another run to score in the following inning.

The Pirates kept searching for a comeback, and Tellez's swings were again the best threat. In the seventh, with the Bucs trailing by two, Tellez lined a ball to center field with an exit velocity of 110.5 mph, only to be robbed of a hit by a sliding catch from Daulton Varsho.

Tellez had more in the tank, though, ripping another RBI single in the ninth to bring the Pirates within one run.

It wasn’t enough for a victory, but three tattooed baseballs and four runs batted are an obvious silver lining.

"Just one of those days that kind of breaks you out of that slump, hopefully," said Tellez.

The Pirates are certainly hoping so.

Tellez has not come close to expectations with his new club this year. He entered Sunday's rubber match with a .177 batting average and .463 OPS, his latest RBI dating back to May 5. The hope was that Tellez could bounce back to his 2022 form, when he hit 35 home runs with the Brewers. Instead, his OPS was over 200 points lower entering Sunday than it was during his down season in '23.

The best version of the Pirates’ lineup has a productive, power-hitting Tellez somewhere in the middle. The Bucs still see in Tellez's game now some of the same traits that initially drew the club to him in free agency. Namely, Tellez's bat speed -- tracked at 74.3 mph by Baseball Savant -- ranks as the second-best on the Pirates, behind Oneil Cruz (77.7 mph).

It’s why the team has stuck with Tellez, even though the results haven't translated and frustration mounted among the fanbase. Tellez has had to keep his head up amid an elongated slump.

"It's my job," Tellez said. "It's my job to show up every day. It's my job to play. It's my job to run out there whenever they call me to play -- whether I'm playing good or playing bad. They brought me here for a reason, and I need to fulfill that reason."

A handful of games like Sunday would be a good start to fulfilling that reason, and Tellez has been grinding to get back to his older self.

"He’s been working hard," said manager Derek Shelton. "The last homestand, we gave him the three days to kind of work on his swings. I think we’re seeing his timing be a little bit more consistent."

During that down time, Tellez focused on getting back to what had previously worked at the plate, getting back to that 30-plus homer version of himself.

"I just got comfortable and kind of said, 'Screw it,' and hit how I want to hit and [did] what I wanted to do,” Tellez said. "Talking with our hitting coaches, that was the right move. Just going back to what I was comfortable with, [how] I had success with over the years."

Barring an incredible turnaround, the chances of a 30-homer season like the Pirates had hoped for are likely long gone. Tellez could still produce more consistently now, which would be a huge boom for this group, but until then, he’s got to keep his head up -- for himself and for his clubhouse.

"I've got to be the best teammate I can be, day in and day out," Tellez said. "[There's] a lot of young guys here. A lot of guys that I was in their shoes when I was younger. I can't be somebody that's selfish or negative or do anything different day to day, whether I'm playing good or bad. I've got to be an example, even when it's not going good for me."