Henry Davis ended a long slide Thursday, going 1-for-3 with a seventh-inning solo home run as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2.
The homer, off Justin Bruihl, was Davis's third blast of the season and came with one out in the seventh inning, breaking a 1-for-29 skid at the plate that had clouded the early weeks of his year.
Davis's one hit in the 6-2 victory was the kind managers notice: it changed a quiet night into a decisive swing and gave the Pirates a late insurance run. The box score read 1-for-3, the long ball the most consequential of those three plate appearances.
The numbers underline why the homer mattered. By the notebook after the game Davis was 3-for-21 since his two-homer performance on May 1 against the Cincinnati Reds — that May 1 outburst remains his only multi-homer game this season. Overall he is hitting.143 with three home runs, nine RBI and a.515 OPS in 98 at bats.
The contrast is stark. Davis has flashed power — three homers, including the two against the Reds — but the batting average and OPS show he has been hard to count on for consistent contact. The seventh-inning shot on Thursday snapped the skid and offered a reminder that his power still exists even as other metrics lag.
Tension around Davis's role has been practical rather than speculative: with Joey Bart on the shelf, Davis should still get a majority of the action behind the plate. That reality gives Thursday's homer outsized value; it isn't just one swing, it's an affirmation that the player doing most of the catching can still provide game-breaking offense.
There is a simple contradiction in the season so far. Davis has three home runs, including the two-homer game on May 1, yet he carries a.143 average and.515 OPS over 98 at bats. The home runs prove pop; the slash line proves inconsistency. Managers and coaches must weigh both when setting a lineup while Bart recovers.
For Davis himself the homer matters in another way: timing. Breaking a 1-for-29 drought in the seventh inning of a road-style contest gives a manager confidence to keep giving him the keys behind the plate rather than shifting more time to alternatives when available. The fact that the shot came off a reliever, Justin Bruihl, adds to its immediate value in preserving a multi-run lead late in the game.
What happens next is straightforward and consequential: as long as Joey Bart remains sidelined, Davis should continue to receive the bulk of starts at catcher. Whether the recent power flashes turn into more consistent offense is the question that will decide how long he holds that role; Thursday's homer moved the needle, but the season line shows the work ahead.
For now, Davis leaves Thursday with the slump snapped and a third home run to his name. That single swing was enough to tilt the night — and to keep him squarely in the lineup until the club has reason to do otherwise.
