Pirates Offense Shuts Down Concerns Against White Sox

First baseman Spencer Horwitz then singled, marking five runs scored, as second baseman Brandon Lowe walked after Griffin.

The Pirates last had their first seven batters reach safely on Aug. 1, 2025, in the nine-run first inning of the 17-16 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

It was also the first time that the Pirates had four doubles in the first inning in the expansion era (since 1961), and Reynolds' double in the second inning was the first time the Pirates had five doubles in the first two innings since July 10, 1993, against Cincinnati.

Pittsburgh added four more runs in the victory, a two-run single from Horwitz in the second inning, and then both a solo home run from catcher Rafael Flores Jr. and a sacrifice fly from Reynolds in the fifth inning.

"I thought we had a really good approach today, especially early on," Pirates manager Don Kelly said on the win. "When we’re rolling like that, and you see the confidence that breeds throughout the lineup, I thought it was really good. As far as one through nine, I think everybody got a hit today and contributed to the win."

Why This Offensive Display Was Huge for the Pirates

The Pirates had come off a series win against the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park, Sept. 4-6, but scored just three runs and won two of the three games in 1-0 shutouts.

It was a continuation of the Pirates being one of the worst offenses in baseball following the All-Star break, ranking near the bottom in most categories.

The Pirates are starting to improve offensively, thanks to stars Griffin and Cruz returning from long-term injury and Ryan O'Hearn coming back as well, giving them their best lineup in months.

The Pirates were the complete opposite in the first half of the season, and injuries have played a big role in their recent poor offensive showings.

Pittsburgh still needs better performances from Reynolds and Horwitz, who have both struggled recently but had great showings against the White Sox.

The Pirates are just one game below .500 and have a long shot at making the postseason, but one they still see as a realistic goal.

Pirates manager Don Kelly knows how important a great offense is for playoff contention and that if they keep this up, along with solid work on the mound and in the field, they'll keep winning and going towards their ultimate goal.

"Coming off a series win at home where we only scored three runs to score five, against a really good team, first game, yes, we want to take it one game at a time," Kelly said.

"Really, if you break it down, take it one game, one inning, pitch at a time. But as the offense starts to go, I think we saw what we talked about before the game. We got some homers. We got some big hits. We got the timely hitting that we needed. And we got some really good pitching and some good defense, too."