The Pirates made sure Paul Skenes received as much run support as needed as they tie a club record with a barrage of seven home runs in a 14-2 rout of the Mets. Rowdy Tellez and Bryan Reynolds launched two each. Reynolds remains on a hot streak that started June 1, hitting .339/.388/.645 in that time.

The Pirates are one of six NL teams closely bunched behind the wild card pack, ranging from three games to 5 1/2 games behind the third slot Cardinals. We will see which teams go for it or stock up for next season at the trade deadline.