Pirates need this strange Bryan Reynolds trend to end to salvage any 2026 playoff hopes

We've been thinking about the Pittsburgh Pirates taking the good, and the more recent bad, and putting it together as a valuable learning experience. The young club needs to learn how to win when the pressure is on, but before dirt is thrown on their grave, it's important to realize that there's still a shot, no matter how long, for them to still sneak into the playoffs.

Coming through with a wild win over the San Francisco Giants to begin September certainly helps, but the clock is ticking on the Pirates. Pittsburgh no longer has any margin for error, and if the club is going to overcome the odds and earn a playoff berth, they're going to need one of their key players to step up.

Bryan Reynolds has something interesting going on with his season. At times, he's looked like a dominant hitter. Overall, his performance has been solid, posting a .263/.369/.420 line with 15 homers heading into play on Thursday. But there's a weird and concerning trend lurking beneath the surface.

At home this season, Reynolds has been a force to be reckoned with. The 31-year-old owns a .920 OPS at PNC Park. That's borderline MVP-caliber performance. On the road, though, he has recorded an OPS of just .672.

It's not uncommon for young hitters to play better at home than on the road. To a degree, all players have the advantage in their own stomping grounds, not only because of the comfort factor, but likely because their skill sets are tailor-made for the quirks of their home park. However, Reynolds is supposed to be the Pirates' battle-tested veteran. He shouldn't have gaps this great.

The odd thing is that historically this hasn't been an issue for the switch hitter. For his career, Reynolds has a .821 OPS at home and .786 on the road. All perfectly reasonable.

Bryan Reynolds' road struggles are emblematic of the reason why the Pirates may miss the playoffs

The Pirates have gotten a lot of credit for their offensive turnaround in 2026, but it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. Pittsburgh has the third-highest OPS at home in baseball with a .789 mark, but on the road, the club has posted a .686 OPS that ranks 25th. Essentially, Reynolds isn't alone in his struggles.

However, there's a certain leadership expectation that's placed on the longest-tenured Pirate, and the incredibly durable Reynolds needs to do more than simply show up when the team is traveling.

Pittsburgh is 33-39 away from PNC Park, and that deficit is a big reason why they sit as far back as they do for the final NL Wild Card spot.

The Pirates have nine road games across three series remaining. There are three remaining against the Chicago White Sox from September 8-10. A critical three road games with the division rival Cubs follows from September 11-13. Finally, a late-September three-game series lurks against the Detroit Tigers from September 25-27.

Pittsburgh is going to need to win the vast majority of these outstanding contests to have any sort of postseason hope. That starts with Reynolds, who has also been in a terrible second-half slide. The Pirates need him to answer the bell and lead the younger players through the challenges that remain.

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