Pirates Rout Braves 12-4 as Ryan O'Hearn Belts 3 Homers and 10 RBIs

Q: Can O'Hearn's heroics carry the Pirates to the playoffs without their injured rising star?

Probably not by himself, but O’Hearn can keep Pittsburgh in the race if the rest of the roster holds up. His impact is real. O’Hearn’s 10-RBI, three-homer night was historic, and it fits a strong season: .293, 16 homers, 61 RBIs and an .851 OPS through July 7. Over the past two weeks he has been one of the Pirates’ hottest hitters, and Pittsburgh’s offense has been good enough overall to rank near the top of the National League in runs and among the leaders in home runs. That gives the club a legitimate path to stay in the wild-card mix. The bigger issue is that one player rarely carries a team to October for three months. The Pirates are 47-45, three games out of the final NL wild-card spot and 11 back in the division, with playoff odds around 39% to 40%. That makes this a plausible chase, not a likely one. O’Hearn can swing games, but Pittsburgh still needs steady production around him. Konnor Griffin’s injury matters because he had given the lineup speed, defense and competent offense at shortstop, hitting .276 with 20 steals in 59 games before the finger injury that is expected to sideline him 8 to 10 weeks. Replacing that with Jared Triolo or Jack Brannigan is a downgrade, especially for a team with little margin for error. The Pirates’ best hope is a formula: O’Hearn anchoring the lineup, Paul Skenes returning to ace form after his recent slump, and the fill-ins at shortstop preventing Griffin’s absence from becoming a major drain.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 8

Ryan O'Hearn powered Pittsburgh's 12-4 win with a grand slam and two three-run homers, driving in 10 runs by the sixth inning.
Hurston Waldrep's second start unraveled quickly: he allowed seven earned runs, six hits, five walks and two O'Hearn homers in 3.1 innings.
Paul Skenes steadied the Pirates after Atlanta scored first, limiting the Braves to two early runs before Pittsburgh's bullpen finished off a fourth straight Braves loss.
O'Hearn's 10 RBIs set a Pirates single-game record, topping the club mark of nine set in 1939 and marking one of baseball's rare 3-homer, 10-RBI games.