After getting into the lab, Reynolds did this for 8th time in career

MILWAUKEE -- Stagnant for the first two games of the series, the Pirates offense got a major boost from Bryan Reynolds on Wednesday, who belted a pair of home runs in the series finale at American Family Field.

After the Brewers built a 6-0 lead through four innings and appeared to be in total command, Reynolds drilled his 12th homer of the season in the fifth, a three-run blast off Milwaukee’s newly acquired reliever Shelby Miller to cut the home team’s lead in half.

“I was just sitting on a sweeper and I got it,” Reynolds said. “Good swing. Stayed through it.”

A two-run shot by Reynolds in the sixth off Nick Mears pulled the Pirates to within a run at 6-5. It marked the eighth career multihomer game for Reynolds in his seven-year Major League career. The five RBIs gave the Pirates outfielder/designated hitter a total of 61 on the season.

After connecting for a ninth-inning single, Reynolds finished 3-for-4 on the day.

A two-time All-Star, Reynolds has been a consistent presence at the plate for the Pirates throughout his career. But, he struggled in the first half of the season before picking up the pace after the All-Star break.

“Maybe having a little cleaner approach. Tightening up a few mechanical things, nothing major,” Reynolds said when asked about what’s been working for him lately.

The Brewers would go on to win, 12-5, and sweep the series, but the Pirates managed 12 hits on Wednesday, matching the Brewers total.

After being outscored 21-1 over the first two games of the series, the Pirates offense came to life in the finale against the best team in the Majors, who won their 12th consecutive game.

“I thought we swung the bats better today. We put up a good fight,” manager Don Kelly said. “Bryan had those two good swings, [Ronny] Simon did a nice job at leadoff and [Joey] Bart smoked that double.”

Simon recorded the first multihit game of his career with a pair of singles after being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis prior to the game.

Commenting specifically on Reynolds, Kelly said he was impressed with the veteran’s approach at the plate against the Brewers usually stingy bullpen.

“He swung the bat really well today,” Kelly said. “The first one he hit off Miller, he absolutely crushed it. And the one to right-center was a line drive, which is a really good sign for him, staying pull-side.”

The Pirates had opportunities for more runs, leaving 10 runners on base. Wednesday’s offensive output came after the Brewers drubbed the Pirates, 14-0, on Tuesday.

“[Tuesday] was a really tough loss,” Kelly said. “Today was tough but I like the fight. We continued to battle even into the ninth inning. We had good at-bats. We need to carry that over to Chicago. It’s going to be a tough series there.”

The Brewers outscored the Pirates 33-6 in the series.

“I don’t think anybody wants to play this team right now. We just ran into that. They’re a great team,” Reynolds said.

When asked what needs to change with Pirates in order to become more competitive in the tough NL Central, Reynolds said the Brewers should be a model.

“I think we need to take a page out of the Brewers book. They just do everything right,” he said. “They base run, take the extra base, put the ball in play, swing at strikes. I think we could benefit a lot from trying to have the same kind of game style.”

While suggesting the Brewers as a model for success, Reynolds has put up big numbers against Milwaukee in his career.

In 97 career games against the Brewers, Reynolds is hitting .322 with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs. The 16 home runs are tied for his most against any opponent, matching his total against the Reds. Reynolds has also hit safely in 15 of his last 18 games at American Family Field, batting .366 (26-for-71) with seven homers and five RBIs while sporting a .761 slugging percentage over that span.

The Pirates had won each of the last 10 games against the Brewers in which Reynolds recorded multiple RBIs prior to Wednesday’s loss.

The Pirates were swept for the sixth time this season and have dropped five straight to fall to 51-71.