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Jared Jones Jared Jones Inefficient in no-decision
Sat, Aug 22, 2026, 9:37 PM
Jones took a no-decision against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and five walks in four innings. He struck out five.
Analysis: Facing a vaunted Dodgers lineup, Jones nibbled around the plate Saturday and landed just 48 of his 87 pitches for strikes. The five walks allowed were a season worst, and the hard-throwing right-hander has yet to touch the 90-pitch marker in any of his 15 appearances following a delayed start to the season due to Tommy John surgery. Jones will carry a shaky 4.76 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 77:26 K:BB over 68 innings into his next scheduled outing in St. Louis. |
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Carmen Mlodzinski Carmen Mlodzinski Serving as bulk reliever Sunday
Sat, Aug 22, 2026, 9:29 PM
Mlodzinski will operate as a bulk reliever against the Dodgers on Sunday, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Lacke Bachar will make his sixth start of the season in Sunday's series finale and figures to toss at least one inning before turning the keys over to Mlodzinski. The latter has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his last three outings, and in eight appearances since the All-Star break, Mlodzinski has a 6.95 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 22 innings. |
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Lake Bachar Lake Bachar Starting Sunday vs. LAD
Sat, Aug 22, 2026, 9:26 PM
Bachar will be the Pirates' starter for Sunday's series finale against the Dodgers, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Bachar will serve as Pittsburgh's opener for Sunday's game before turning the keys over to Carmen Mlodzinski, the latter of whom will operate in a bulk-relief role. It'll be the sixth start of the season for Bachar, who has a 3.75 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 73:27 K:BB over 69.2 innings this season between the Pirates and Marlins. |
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Nick Gonzales Nick Gonzales Drives in two
Sat, Aug 22, 2026, 7:23 AM
Gonzales went 2-for-5 with two RBI against the Dodgers on Friday.
Analysis: Gonzales drove in the first run of the game with a single in the opening inning, and he then tacked on an additional run two frames later. In three starts since returning from a head injury, Gonzales has gone 5-for-15 with two RBI, a run scored and a double. Across 499 plate appearances this season, he has maintained an impressive .311 batting average, though Gonzales also has just a .093 ISO. |
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Oneil Cruz Oneil Cruz Forces extras Friday
Sat, Aug 22, 2026, 2:08 AM
Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and two walks in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Dodgers.
Analysis: Cruz went deep in the eighth inning to force the extra frame. He's gone 3-for-9 with a pair of homers, five RBI and a stolen base over three games since he returned from a fractured left hand. Cruz has hit fifth in all of those contests after primarily serving as the Pirate's leadoff hitter prior to his injury. On the year, he's batting .266 with an .846 OPS, 16 homers, 49 RBI, 47 runs scored, 10 doubles and 22 stolen bases over 67 contests. |
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Bubba Chandler Bubba Chandler Chased after four frames
Sat, Aug 22, 2026, 2:05 AM
Chandler allowed four runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out six over four innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Friday.
Analysis: Chandler had won his last three starts, but he wasn't up to the challenge the Dodgers presented in this contest. The right-hander gave up a pair of runs in the first and third innings for his most runs allowed in a game in August. He has 4.38 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 114:66 K:BB across 125.1 innings over 25 games (24 starts) this year. Chandler's next outing is projected to be at San Diego. |
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Esmerlyn Valdez Esmerlyn Valdez Sitting Friday
Fri, Aug 21, 2026, 6:11 PM
Valdez is not in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Dodgers on Friday.
Analysis: Valdez will take a seat following a three-game stretch in which he went 0-for-12 with eight strikeouts, one walk and one run scored. Jake Mangum will start in right field and bat eighth in Friday's series opener. |
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Jhostynxon Garcia Jhostynxon Garcia Lands on 7-day IL
Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 4:37 PM
Garcia was placed on the 7-day injured list Thursday with an undisclosed injury, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: The Pirates demoted Garcia to Triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 14 after he had been up with the big club since July 29. The 23-year-old got three hits with a RBI and no walks across 11 plate appearances in the three games he appeared in after being optioned. |
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Robert Hassell III Robert Hassell III Hits 7-day IL
Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 4:31 PM
Hassell was placed on the 7-day injured list Thursday with an undisclosed injury, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: Hassell was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis from Double-A Altoona on Aug. 18, but did not make an appearance prior to the injury designation. He had been with Double-A Altoona since August. 8, where he got four hits with two RBI and six walks across 24 plate appearances in a five game stretch. |
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Brandon Lowe Brandon Lowe Walks off Tigers
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 10:05 PM
Lowe went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and two runs scored Wednesday against the Tigers.
Analysis: Lowe capped a dramatic win for Pittsburgh on Wednesday, blasting a walk-off home run against Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning. That marked his fourth long ball of August, though he's also struck out at a 38.2 percent clip while hitting just .229 across 18 games. Lowe now has 27 homers on the season and has also reached 80 RBI for the second consecutive campaign. |
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Rafael Flores Jr. Rafael Flores Jr. Comes up big off bench Wednesday
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 4:59 PM
Flores went 2-for-2 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Tigers.
Analysis: The Pirates tried to give the red-hot Flores a breather by keeping him out of the lineup Wednesday, but the 25-year-old was summoned off the bench to pinch hit for Henry Davis in the seventh inning and took Jacob Waguespack deep to make it a 3-2 game. Two frames later, Flores homered again to tie it, this time off Detroit closer Kenley Jansen, setting the stage for Brandon Lowe's walk-off blast. Flores has gone yard five times in the last seven games, a sizzling stretch in which he's batting .435 (10-for-23) with 10 RBI. |
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Mason Montgomery Mason Montgomery Nabs fifth win Wednesday
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 4:55 PM
Montgomery (5-3) picked up the win Wednesday against the Tigers, giving up two hits and striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.
Analysis: The southpaw reliever worked a clean top of the ninth with the Pirates down 3-2, and got rewarded when Rafael Flores and Brandon Lowe both took Detroit closer Kenley Jansen deep for a walk-off win. Montgomery has reeled off nine straight scoreless appearances, picking up two wins and three saves in that stretch with a 0.63 WHIP and an eye-popping 17:2 K:BB over eight innings as Pittsburgh's top high-leverage option. |
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Paul Skenes Paul Skenes Another early exit Wednesday
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 4:51 PM
Skenes didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Tigers, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out five.
Analysis: The 24-year-old right-hander was on the hook for his 12th loss of the season until the Pirates rallied to walk it off in the ninth. Skenes has failed to last longer than five frames in four straight starts, and he's failed to complete six frames in six of his last seven trips to the mound, a stretch in which he's stumbled to a 5.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP despite a 48:18 K:BB over 36 innings. Skenes will try to turn things around in his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week in San Diego. |
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Christian Bethancourt Christian Bethancourt Shipped to Bucs
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 1:51 PM
The Pirates acquired Bethancourt from the Yankees on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.
Analysis: The acquisition of Bethancourt bolsters the Pirates' organizational catching depth and could be an indication that Endy Rodriguez (hip) is headed for a longer-term absence. The 34-year-old Bethancourt saw big-league action over parts of eight seasons from 2013 through 2024, but he's played exclusively at the Triple-A level between stops with the Cubs and Yankees organizations in 2026. Over 249 plate appearances at Triple-A, Bethancourt has slashed .270/.320/.491 with 14 home runs and five stolen bases. |
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Rafael Flores Jr. Rafael Flores Jr. Hitting bench after six straight starts
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 10:24 AM
Flores is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Analysis: Flores will hit the bench after he started in each of the last six games -- three at catcher, three at first base -- while going 8-for-21 with three home runs, one double, two walks, eight RBI and six runs. He should continue to see regular reps at first base against left-handed pitching as part of a platoon with the left-handed-hitting Spencer Horwitz, and Flores has performed well enough lately to earn more playing time behind the plate at the expense of Henry Davis, who has generated a lowly .426 OPS since the All-Star break. |
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Jake Mangum Jake Mangum Retreating to bench Wednesday
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 10:21 AM
Mangum is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Analysis: Mangum will take a seat for the first time since July 29 while the Pirates go with Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz and Esmerlyn Valdez as their starting outfield trio from left to right. Though Cruz's recent return from the 60-day injured list leaves one fewer spot in the outfield, the Pirates could deploy Reynolds as a designated hitter more frequently to open up regular playing time for Mangum, who has produced a .771 OPS thus far in August. |
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Mason Montgomery Mason Montgomery Fans two for fifth save of 2026
Tue, Aug 18, 2026, 8:06 PM
Montgomery earned the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Tigers, striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning.
Analysis: Braxton Ashcraft took care of business through the first eight innings on just 80 pitches, but the Pirates turned to Montgomery to keep the team's lead safe. The first batter reached base safely on a throwing error, but Montgomery proceeded to strike out the next two hitters he faced before closing the game with a groundout. He's earned the save in three of his last five outings and has not yielded a run over his last eight appearances. Montgomery has a 3.47 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 49.1 innings this season. |
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Oneil Cruz Oneil Cruz Belts two-run homer in return
Tue, Aug 18, 2026, 8:00 PM
Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during the Pirates' 4-1 win over the Tigers on Tuesday.
Analysis: Cruz was activated from the 60-day injured list Monday, but he had to wait until Tuesday to make his return to the lineup. He made an immediate impact in his return with a two-run long ball in the fifth to put the Pirates up for good. It's a great sign for Cruz, who had been working his way back from a fractured left hand that he suffered in early June. His return is a significant boost for a Pirates team attempting to make a late surge to reach the postseason. |
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Braxton Ashcraft Braxton Ashcraft Cruises to 13th win
Tue, Aug 18, 2026, 7:49 PM
Ashcraft (13-5) came away with the win against the Tigers on Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits while striking out four across eight innings. He did not issue a walk.
Analysis: Ashcraft set the tone Tuesday by retiring the first 10 batters he faced. He gave up a solo homer to Brett Callahan in the fifth, but that was the only blemish to Ashcraft's excellent night, with the latter tossing only 80 pitches (61 strikes) through eight innings while generating seven whiffs and 12 groundouts. It was a spectacular encore to his complete game this past Thursday against the Marlins, and Ashcraft sits at a 3.68 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 149.1 innings this season. He's lined up to face the Padres on the road next week in what projects to be a two-start week for the 27-year-old right-hander. |
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Nick Gonzales Nick Gonzales On bench Tuesday
Tue, Aug 18, 2026, 5:16 PM
Gonzales is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers.
Analysis: Gonzales went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and a run Monday after missing the previous two contests due to a facial contusion, which he sustained Friday on a hit-by-pitch. The 27-year-old will head to the bench Tuesday while Jared Triolo picks up a start at the hot corner while batting ninth. |
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