Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales (3) celebrates with Billy Cook (25) and Marcell Ozuna, center, after scoring on Bryan Reynolds' two-run single against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH — Bryan Reynolds drove in three runs, Mitch Keller pitched seven strong innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 on Sunday.

Reynolds’ two-run single to left field capped a three-run fifth and put the Pirates ahead 4-2. The hit came after Nick Gonzales’ tying single drove in Joey Bart, who hit a leadoff double.

Keller (2-1) allowed two runs — on Hunter Feduccia’s single in the fifth — and five hits while striking out five.

“I felt really good,” Keller said. “I just wanted to bounce back from the last one — be on the gas, just be on the attack and try not to walk anybody.”

Reynolds also drove in the game’s first run on a fielder’s choice in the first that scored Jake Mangum, who led off the inning with a double.

Home runs by pinch-hitter Spencer Horwitz in the sixth and Nick Yorke in the eighth extended the Pirates’ lead to 6-2.

“There’s never a doubt with this offense,” Keller said. “We’ve proven that we’re always in it and we’re always going to fight and claw back. Giving up two there, I just needed to keep it right there.”

Shane McClanahan (1-2) gave up four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He had five strikeouts and no walks.

Junior Caminero homered leading off the ninth for the Rays, connecting off Wilber Dotel, who was making his major league debut. Dotel retired the next three batters to end the game.

Mangum, Gonzales, and Reynolds — the top three hitters in the lineup — each had two of the Pirates’ 12 hits.

The Rays lost two of three in the series after entering on a six-game winning streak. The Pirates finished their homestand 4-3.

“(Keller’s performance) was huge,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Honestly, probably the biggest start of the year with where our bullpen was at. For him to be as strong as he was and get the ‘W’ for the team, it was unbelievable. Just the way he attacked the zone and mixed up pitches, he did a great job.”

Saturday’s game

Cedric Mullins led off the 13th inning with a two-run home run and the Rays outlasted the Pirates 8-7 on a rainy Saturday night.

Mullins’ blast to right field off Yohan Ramirez scored automatic runner Jonny DeLuca. Mullins entered the day hitting just .129 after signing with Tampa Bay in the offseason as a free agent.

Griffin Jax (1-2) pitched a scoreless 12th. Yoendrys Gomez allowed a run-scoring single to rookie Konnor Griffin in the bottom of the 13th, then struck out Bart with runners on second and third to end it.

Both teams scored a run in the 11th. The Rays’ Taylor Walls came around from first on a wild pickoff throw by Ramirez (2-1). The Pirates countered with Griffin’s run-scoring fielder’s choice.

Pittsburgh tied it at 5 in the eighth on Yorke’s RBI single.

The first pitch was moved up 30 minutes in hopes that the teams could beat the rain. However, play was stopped for 2 hours, 27 minutes, with the Pirates leading 4-0.

The Rays then scored five runs in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Caminero doubled in the first run and scored on Jonathan Aranda’s single. Two batters later, pinch-hitter DeLuca lined a two-run single to center field, and Mullins followed with a go-ahead single.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes pitched four scoreless innings on his bobblehead day, including escaping a bases-loaded jam with none out in the second. The 2025 NL Cy Young Award did not return after the delay.

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen gave up two-run home runs to Ryan O’Hearn in the first inning and Marcell Ozuna in the fourth, but the Pirates couldn’t hold the 4-0 lead.

Up next

The Pirates are off today before opening a three-game series on Tuesday at Texas, where they will see former teammate Andrew McCutchen.