Pirates explode for 15 hits, battling heat to top Rangers, avert sweep

On the verge of being swept, as well as dropping eight of their last 10 games, the Pittsburgh Pirates took on the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park in 91-degree heat.

Multiple Pirates players broke out of offensive slumps to lead the club to an 8-3 win in front of 20,341 fans.

The Pirates’ Nos. 6-8 batters — Spencer Horwitz, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Tommy Pham — went a combined 8 for 11 with seven RBIs and four doubles, whereas Bryan Reynolds was 3 for 4 with a double and walk.

Horwitz (3 for 4, two RBIs) and Pham (3 for 3, three RBIs) ripped two doubles apiece. Hayes (2 for 4) had a pair of RBIs, as well.

“Ke’Bryan, Spencer, Tommy, all coming up with huge, huge hits,” manager Don Kelly said postgame. “Bryan Reynolds — great at-bats today, just all the way through. And especially those guys down at the bottom. Some huge two-out knocks that really propelled us there in big situations, with runners on. What we’ve been looking for. They came through big time today.”

Starter Bailey Falter (6-3, 3.59 ERA) picked up his team-leading sixth win, lasting 5 1/3 innings and allowing three earned runs.

He threw 52 of his 89 pitches for strikes, surrendering six hits with one strikeout, and matched his season-high in walks (five).

Though displeased with his outing, Falter appreciated the Pirates (31-48) offense doing their bit. Sunday’s 15 hits were tied for the second-most by the team this season.

“I’m happy the boys had my back out there today,” Falter said. “They came out to play, and they definitely picked me up.”

Texas took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, capitalizing off back-to-back walks Falter issued to Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia.

Josh Smith collected the first RBI for the Rangers, scoring Semien with a single, and Josh Jung followed with another RBI base hit to plate Garcia before Falter ended the frame with a double play.

Hayes got the Pirates on the board in the bottom of the fourth, sneaking an opposite-field RBI single down the first-base line against Texas starter Jack Leiter, cutting the Rangers’ lead to 2-1.

Hayes’ single scored Joey Bart, who led off with a single.

Defensively, Hayes made a big impact Sunday, saving a run in the third with a diving stop on a Garcia grounder.

“I think we’re spoiled getting to see it every day,” Reynolds said of Hayes’ defense. “I mean, he’s unbelievable. He’s the best defender in baseball. So it’s a treat that we see it every day.”

Following Hayes to the plate was Pham, whose sacrifice fly to score Horwitz, who also singled and advanced to third on Hayes’ hit, tied the game.

Pham set his season high in hits, including one double. Entering Sunday, he was batting .194 on the year and had gone only 2-for-20 (.100) in June.

“Today felt better,” Pham said. “I’ve been working on some stuff, especially visually. It’s just good to finally see it come out on my side this time.”

A leadoff walk issued to Oneil Cruz in the bottom of the fifth resulted in Leiter’s departure after 88 pitches, but the change didn’t work out in Texas’ favor as the Pirates scored five runs in the inning.

After an Andrew McCutchen groundout helped Cruz advance to second and Reynolds singled, Nick Gonzales delivered an RBI base hit to plate Cruz, making it 3-2 Pirates.

Caleb Boushley let up the run for Texas, which was charged to Leiter.

Leiter (4-5, 4.55 ERA), the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, one spot behind Henry Davis, was Sunday’s losing pitcher, allowing three runs on five hits.

The Pirates soon got to Boushley, taking a 5-2 lead thanks to an RBI double by Horwitz scoring Reynolds and Bart, who got aboard via forceout.

Hayes then made it 6-2, scoring Horwitz with an RBI single into left-center field.

Pham’s second hit and RBI of the afternoon, a double to the center-field wall, brought home Hayes and put the Pirates up 7-2.

Boushley pitched the remainder of the game, eating four innings for the Rangers but allowing five runs on 10 hits.

Falter departed with one out in the sixth, responsible for Garcia (walk) on third and Jonah Heim (single) on first.

Caleb Ferguson took over on the mound, with Garcia scoring via an RBI groundout by Jung that Hayes made another solid play on to erase Heim at second.

Now presiding over a 7-3 lead, Ferguson ended the frame with a strikeout of Ezequiel Duran, closing the book on Falter’s afternoon.

Ferguson stayed on and pitched a scoreless seventh, whereas in the bottom of the inning, the Pirates took an 8-3 lead off Pham’s RBI double to score Horwitz, who also doubled.

Dennis Santana, currently appealing a four-game suspension for an altercation with a fan Thursday in Detroit, pitched a scoreless eighth. David Bednar closed things out in the ninth.

“When you’re on the backside of a stretch where we had that long day in Detroit, coming home, trying to get back on track after two losses, for the guys to respond — we go down early, two-zip, and for them to come back and for Bailey to hold the line there — it was a great win,” Kelly said.