For post-trade deadline Pirates, top of order becomes heart of lineup

With Ke’Bryan Hayes batting leadoff ahead of Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen, the top of the order has become the heart of the order for the Pittsburgh Pirates this month.

The trio has found its groove by hitting a collective .287/.350/.526 with 15 doubles, 12 home runs and 37 RBIs since the MLB trade deadline passed at 6 p.m. Aug. 1. Where Reynolds and McCutchen have been batted primarily second and third in the batting order, Hayes has bounced around but has flourished in the leadoff spot.

Despite trading veterans in first basemen Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi and starting pitcher Rich Hill, the Pirates haven’t taken a post-deadline nosedive like their past two seasons. After going 8-20 in August 2021 and 9-19 last year, the Pirates are 10-12 this month for their best winning percentage (.455) since going 19-9 (.679) in April.

“It makes a heck of a difference,” McCutchen said. “You want the top, especially the top of the order, to be the guys that can make things happen, get on base and whatever it is. We’re doing that and setting ourselves up to be able to win ballgames and score some runs. It’s nice when we all get rolling. Hopefully, we can continue to keep grinding that out for the rest of the season.”

McCutchen was 6 for 13 with three doubles, a home run and two RBIs in the three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. After going without a home run since June 30, the 36-year-old designated hitter is finally getting fastballs in hitter’s counts and has hit a pair of homers over the past five games to sit one shy of 300 for his career.

Watching McCutchen’s 437 plate appearances up close this season, when he signed a one-year, $5 million free-agent deal to return to the Pirates, manager Derek Shelton is impressed with his elite control of the strike zone.

“The quality of his plate appearances have been really good,” Shelton said, noting that McCutchen ranks sixth in the National League in walks (69) and is tied for seventh with a .378 on-base percentage. “He’s controlled at-bats throughout the year and especially in the second half. He’s got a ton of walks. I think you can see the fact that he’s feeling better and he’s getting the barrel of the bat out front. When he swings the bat like that, we’re in a good spot.”

With a .262/.368/.431 slash line, McCutchen is having his best month since hitting .319/.462/.458 in June. His five doubles are one more than he had in June, and his 10 RBIs are three more.

Hayes also is enjoying his best month since June, when he batted .337 with an .855 OPS and had seven extra-base hits and 10 RBIs. After missing most of July with low back inflammation from a hip injury, Hayes has provided a steady bat with a .321 on-base percentage, .869 OPS, 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs in 21 games. He hit a 392-foot home run to center in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Cardinals.

“It’s timing,” Shelton said. “It’s been really consistent and really good.”

It’s the type of production the Pirates expected from Hayes when they signed the 25-year-old third baseman to an eight-year, $70 million contract in April 2022, making him a foundational piece for their future.

“Yeah, man, it’s nice that he’s coming around,” McCutchen said. “It looks like his body is starting to get better, and he’s getting the legs under him. He’s a good player when he’s feeling good, when his body is feeling good physically. That’s why he got paid the big bucks. It’s nice to see him swing the bat well. Hope he can maintain for the remainder of the season.”

Where Hayes and McCutchen were both hot in June, Reynolds put up modest numbers. His on-base percentage (.406) was excellent but he had only four RBIs in 16 games. Reynolds is having his best month since April, when he slashed .323/.351/.586 with nine doubles, a triple, five homers and 22 RBIs.

The 28-year-old outfielder, who signed a franchise-record, eight-year, $106.75 million deal in April, is batting .304 with a .936 OPS, five doubles, a triple, six homers, 13 RBIs and 17 runs scored in 22 games.

The hitting coach in Shelton sees Reynolds in a better position in his setup and spacing of his legs providing a strong foundation for his swing.

“He’s extremely vital. And it’s not to put it solely on Bryan Reynolds, but when Bryan Reynolds is at the top of his game, we are the best version of the Pirates,” Shelton said. “I think that’s really because he hits in the two-hole, the way he controls at-bats, the way he changes our lineup because he’s a switch hitter. When your best player is going, it totally changes the dynamic of what you are and who you are.”

That’s especially true when the Pirates’ top three players get it going.