Bryan Reynolds rounding into form, as 3-homer game caps incredible month for Pirates CF

By hitting three home runs Wednesday at Washington, Bryan Reynolds reminded everyone why the Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder was an All-Star last season — and could be rounding back into that form.

“It feels good,” Reynolds said. “I guess it feels kind of surreal, but it was a good day at the plate.”

Actually, it was a career day for Reynolds as it marked his first three-homer and six-RBI performance in the 8-7 win over the Nationals. And it capped an incredible month for Reynolds heading into June’s final day, when the Pirates opened a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night at PNC Park.

Hat trick for Bryan Reynolds! pic.twitter.com/Mt0QdyyC8T

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 29, 2022

Reynolds credited his strike zone discipline for slashing .337/.384/.624 with one double, two triples, eight home runs and 19 RBIs this month — despite batting .158 (3 for 19) during a five-game stretch on the trip to Tampa Bay and Washington — as his batting average jumped 46 points to .258 and he took team leads in homers (15) and RBIs (31).

It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Historically, Reynolds has had a hot bat in June. Through three seasons (the start of 2020 was delayed until late July because of covid-19) Reynolds is batting .355/.417/.568 with 13 doubles, three triples, 13 homers and 46 RBIs in 75 games in June. His next-best month is August, where he’s hit .283 in 79 games.

Asked if Reynolds was doing his best to make up for a slow start — he batted .194 in April and .225 in May — Pirates manager Derek Shelton focused more on Reynolds having a better approach at the plate.

“I don’t know if ‘make up’ is the right word. I think it’s just staying with his approach, being more consistent with his approach,” Shelton said. “Early in the year, he tried to do a little bit too much. Now we’re seeing him have really consistent at-bats. Consistent at-bats is the way I would term it.”

The consistency showed in the win over the Nationals, when the switch-hitting Reynolds hit a two-run homer to center field in the first inning, a solo shot to right in the sixth and a three-run bomb to left in the seventh that proved to be the winner.

That he homered to all three parts of Nationals Park made little difference to Reynolds, who joined rookie outfielder Jack Suwinski (June 19 against San Francisco) as one of six players in Pirates history to homer off three pitchers in a game.

“It was just how it happened, what the pitch made me do,” Reynolds said. “I’m not trying to steer it or anything.”

Shelton, who was quick to credit Reynolds for carrying the Pirates to a “huge win” that snapped their five-game skid, also downplayed the direction the balls sailed. He was more impressed that all three had exit velocities of 101.0 mph or higher and sailed at least 389 feet.

“I don’t care where he hit them,” Shelton said. “It really didn’t matter, but they were three really good swings.”