Jared Triolo knew runs would be hard to come by against the Philadelphia Phillies, so he came to the plate in the second inning with one out, a runner at first base and looking to do damage.

When Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez threw a 2-0 sinker over the middle of the plate, Triolo hit it to right-center field for an RBI double to score Ke’Bryan Hayes for the Pirates’ first run in a 2-1 win Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.

“I’m trying to push some runs across,” Triolo said, sheepishly. “I know we have a tough time doing that with Paul (Skenes) on the mound, but in a 2-1 ballgame just trying to get anything you can.”

Where Triolo struggled at the plate for the first two months of the season, he’s off to a fast start in June. In four games, he’s 5 for 10 with two doubles, three walks and no strikeouts for a .500/.615/.700 slash line. Over his past five games, Triolo is 7 for 14 at the plate.

“Just being more consistent and giving myself a better chance to attack some baseballs. It’s definitely paid off,” said Triolo, who credited a more aggressive approach. “You see a couple fall, and the confidence comes.”

Meantime, the 2024 NL Gold Glove utility infielder’s defense has remained at a high level, regardless of where he’s playing. Triolo has started 11 games at shortstop, 10 at second base, seven at first and five at third base this season, primarily against left-handed starters.

Triolo made a key defensive play in the ninth inning, going down to the dirt to pick Bryson Stott’s 105.9-mph “hot shot” down the first base line for the first out.

“I thought I was going to sneak one past Bryson, but he had the best of me there, but Tri, he’s a Gold Glover,” Pirates reliever Braxton Ashcraft said. “He’s one of the best in the game at picking balls.”

Getting the ball to fall, on the other hand, has been an issue for Triolo. Per Statcast, his batting numbers pale in comparison to his expected averages. Where his expected batting average is .229, his actual batting average is only .186 and his actual slugging percentage is 80 points lower than expected.

“That’s always the tough battle with hitters: You have a good at-bat and you get out and you go back to the dugout,” Triolo said. “Just seeing that, the ‘x’ numbers are great but you want to contribute on the field. I guess they give you a little bit of confidence.

“I felt like I’ve been having good at-bats and not seeing the ball get to the outfield or get over the fence or whatever it is. Keeping with what I’ve been working on, and they’ve been falling.”

What has given Triolo confidence is that he’s continued barreling balls, even when they don’t fall. Pirates manager Don Kelly called Triolo the Pirates’ “most underperforming” hitter in that regard but credited him for working hard with Matt Hague and the hitting staff to make adjustments.

“Now he’s getting rewarded a little bit and balls are falling in,” Kelly said. “He’s driving it to the gaps even more than he was before.”

That was evident in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Phillies. Triolo was robbed of an extra-base hit by center fielder Johan Rojas, who chased down a 382-foot shot to the warning track in left center to make a spectacular catch on the run in the second inning.

“He’s done an outstanding job getting in there and squaring the ball up,” Kelly said of Triolo. “Even the ball (Saturday) night, the play that Rojas made was unreal. Tri drove that one, too. He’s doing a great job, and he’s always ready.”

Triolo was ready with a quip about that would-be hit when asked about his double Sunday, which had a 103.1-mph exit velocity and traveled 317 feet, bouncing before it reached the warning track in right-center.

“I tried the left-center gap yesterday, so I decided to try the right-center today,” Triolo said. “It definitely felt good.”

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