Back-to-back homers in 10th help the Pirates beat Giants 4-3
Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes hit back-to-back homers in the 10th inning to help the Pittsburgh Pirates outlast the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Saturday night.
Reynolds led off with a two-run homer for a 3-1 lead, and Hayes followed with another shot to left off reliever Taylor Rogers (0-1). Jorge Soler answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, but David Bednar wrapped it up for his fifth save. It was a good time for the Pirates to hit their first back-to-back home runs of the season.
"Slow game yesterday, (it was) slow the first part of the game today — so breaking out in the 10th, it felt good," Reynolds said.
Reynolds, who was drafted by the Giants in 2016 before being traded to Pittsburgh two years later, let out a bit of emotion after the go-ahead shot.
"I think that's probably as much (emotion) as you'll see," manager Derek Shelton said. "You don't see very much from him."
Shelton called Rogers "probably one of the better left-handers in the game," as the Pirates answered after being shut out on Friday.
"Bryan got a breaking ball and hit it good, and then (Hayes) flushed it," Shelton said. "It was good to see two big hits by guys we need big hits from."
Hunter Stratton (1-0) got the final two outs in the ninth for his first major league victory.
Giants starter Jordan Hicks struck out nine and allowed a run in six-plus innings, and Pirates starter Martín Pérez also gave up a run in six innings.
The game was scoreless until the sixth, when Wilmer Flores hit an RBI double for the Giants, but the Pirates tied it back up in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Rowdy Tellez.
At 14-14, The Pirates are back at .500 after dipping below the mark Friday for the first time all season. The Giants were seeking to get back to .500 for the first time this month.
Both teams dropped one of their biggest bats down in the batting order — Soler for the Giants and Tellez for the Pirates, both of whom responded by driving in runs.
Soler, who has hit in the middle of the order all season as the Giants' designated hitter, dropped down to sixth on Saturday. Soler, who signed a three-year, $42 million contract with San Francisco, entered the game 2 for 23 with runners in scoring position so far this season with six RBIs.
Manager Bob Melvin said before the game that Soler could benefit from a change of scenery.
"We're not quite a month yet, but he's used to having a few more RBIs at this point in time," Melvin said. "He's come up in some situations but you know what? Typically guys like him — when they break out, they break out big."
Tellez, the Pirates' usual cleanup hitter, batted eighth Saturday. He was carrying an 0-for-12 streak and hitting just .181 this season entering Saturday.
Pirates catcher Joey Bart, who is back in San Francisco for the first time since the Giants traded their former top prospect to Pittsburgh, started and hit sixth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: RHP Alex Cobb (hip/elbow/shoulder), who continues to have soreness in his right shoulder, underwent an MRI that did not show any structural damage. He also had a cortisone shot, which Melvin hopes clears him up to begin throwing again next week. … Second baseman Thairo Estrada (left hamstring) was back in the lineup after missing Friday's game.
Pirates: Shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) was not in the lineup, with Shelton noting he was "grinding a little bit with his ankle" after hurting it while sliding into third on Friday, but he did pinch hit in the ninth.
UP NEXT
RHP Keaton Winn (2-3, 3.54 ERA) was set to pitch for the Giants against RHP Jared Jones (2-2, 2.79 ERA) in the final game of the three-game series.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
