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Mason Montgomery Mason Montgomery Picks up 11th save
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 11:11 PM
Montgomery got the save Wednesday against the White Sox, striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.
Analysis: Montgomery continued his scoreless streak to 18.1 innings with the save Wednesday. The left-hander has now converted save opportunities in his last four outings, and has not lost a game since June 26. |
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Esmerlyn Valdez Esmerlyn Valdez Homer in win
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 11:04 PM
Valdez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in the win Wednesday against the White Sox.
Analysis: Valdez got the start in right field, but got pulled for pinch runner Billy Cook in the seventh. The rookie kicked off the scoring with a long ball off of Davis Martin in the fifth to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead that they never looked back on. The 22-year-old has not hit well in his last 30 games, hitting .178 with three homers and 11 RBI as well as 50 strikeouts in 101 at-bats. |
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Konnor Griffin Konnor Griffin Two stolen bases in win
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 10:51 PM
Griffin went 1-for-4 with two RBI and two stolen bases Wednesday in the 4-2 win over the White Sox.
Analysis: Griffin singled home what would become the winning runs of the game in the seventh inning to get his first RBI since coming off the injured list with a torn sagittal band on his left ring finger. The rookie batted leadoff for the fourth straight game and proved he was still going to be aggressive on the basepaths with his 21st and 22nd stolen bases of the season. The 20-year-old is slashing .266/.325/.389 with five home runs and 27 RBI in 64 games so far this season. |
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Spencer Horwitz Spencer Horwitz Plates three runs Tuesday
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 10:19 AM
Horwitz went 3-for-5 with three RBI in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the White Sox.
Analysis: Horwitz was unstoppable at the plate and contributed three of the Pirates' nine runs. He's been slumping in recent days, however, as he's hitting just .222 with a .522 OPS since the beginning of September. |
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Bubba Chandler Bubba Chandler Fans eight in victory
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 10:10 AM
Chandler (7-9) earned the win Tuesday against the White Sox after allowing two runs on four hits while striking out eight over six innings. He didn't issue a walk.
Analysis: Chandler received a five-run cushion before taking the mound and dominated early, retiring the first 12 hitters he faced while recording seven strikeouts over the first four innings. Chicago finally broke through on Braden Montgomery's RBI single in the fifth before Kyle Teel homered in the sixth. Chandler still completed six innings and lowered his ERA to 4.25. His next start is projected to come over the weekend against the Cubs. |
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Lake Bachar Lake Bachar Starting bullpen game
Tue, Sep 8, 2026, 9:47 PM
Bachar will start Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Dominic Campbell of SI.com reports.
Analysis: Pittsburgh is going to rely on its bullpen to get through Wednesday's contest, and it'll be Bachar on the mound in the first inning, making what will be his ninth start of the season. The 31-year-old righty has pitched at least two innings in eight of his 11 appearances since the beginning of August and will likely do so again Wednesday. |
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Brandon Eisert Brandon Eisert Back in big leagues
Tue, Sep 8, 2026, 5:38 PM
The Pirates recalled Eisert from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
Analysis: After being optioned to Triple-A on Friday, Eisert will now rejoin the big club to replace the injured Isaac Mattson (hip). Eisert hasn't been very effective in the majors this season, posting a 6.00 ERA and 1.39 WHIP across 36 frames and will likely be reserved for low-leverage situations as long as he's with Pittsburgh. |
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Isaac Mattson Isaac Mattson Lands on IL
Tue, Sep 8, 2026, 5:35 PM
The Pirates placed Mattson on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with hip inflammation, retroactive to Sunday.
Analysis: Mattson gave up three earned runs in two innings during his first appearance back in the majors since mid-August on Saturday and appears to have picked up an injury in the process. He'll be eligible to return during the final week of the regular season. In the meantime, the Pirates will bring up Brandon Eisert to fill the void in their bullpen. |
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Christian Bethancourt Christian Bethancourt Outrighted to Triple-A
Tue, Sep 8, 2026, 8:13 AM
The Pirates outrighted Bethancourt to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.
Analysis: Bethancourt did not appear in a game during his brief time on the Pirates' 40-man roster, but he's slated to remain in the organization as experienced catching depth. The 35-year-old is a career .229/.259/.362 hitter over parts of eight big-league seasons. |
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Ryan O'Hearn Ryan O'Hearn Kicking off rehab Tuesday
Mon, Sep 7, 2026, 1:50 PM
O'Hearn (quadriceps) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: O'Hearn has not played in a game since he went down with a left quad strain in late July, but he's been cleared to test things out at the Pirates' top minor-league affiliate. The 31-year-old is aiming to be reinstated to the active roster ahead of this weekend's series at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. |
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Henry Davis Henry Davis Pops ninth homer
Mon, Sep 7, 2026, 8:47 AM
Davis went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Sunday against the Angels.
Analysis: Davis provided the only run of the game for either team with a solo home run in the third inning. He is working primarily as the backup to Rafael Flores and continues to struggle at the plate, with Sunday's homer being his first since July 12. If there is a positive to take from Davis' season, he has set a new career high in home runs with nine. |
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Ryan O'Hearn Ryan O'Hearn Closing in on rehab assignment
Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 8:55 PM
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he's hopeful that O'Hearn (quadriceps) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment "early-ish" during the upcoming week, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Analysis: On the shelf since Aug. 1 due to a left quad strain, O'Hearn resumed taking part in light baseball activities just over two weeks later after sustaining the injury and recently moved his rehab program to Pittsburgh. O'Hearn appears to have steered clear of any setbacks while ramping up and is now ready to move on to the final phase of his recovery by getting in some competitive at-bats in minor-league games. The 31-year-old is believed to be targeting a return from the injured list during next weekend's series in Chicago versus the Cubs, but the Pirates will wait and see how he fares on his rehab assignment before deciding when he'll be activated. |
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Mason Montgomery Mason Montgomery Up to 10 saves
Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 3:28 PM
Montgomery earned the save in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Angels, allowing a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
Analysis: Montgomery improved to 10-for-12 in save chances this season while extending his scoreless streak to 17.1 innings -- he's allowed just seven hits while striking out 27 in that span. Montgomery's ERA is down to 2.87 on the season with a 1.06 WHIP and 92:23 K:BB across 59.2 innings this season. |
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Paul Skenes Paul Skenes Rebounds for 10th win
Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 3:10 PM
Skenes (10-11) earned the win Sunday over the Angels, allowing four hits and a walk over 5.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two.
Analysis: While Skenes wasn't exactly dominant Sunday, he managed to hold the Angels scoreless in a strong bounce-back performance after he gave up five runs in 4.2 innings against the Giants his last time out. It's Skenes' first win since July 19 -- he'd gone 0-3 with a 5.77 ERA across 34.1 innings in his previous seven outings. Overall, the 24-year-old Skenes sports a 3.83 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP and 181:45 K:BB across 29 starts (155 innings) this season. He's currently in line for a road matchup with the Cubs his next time out. |
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Jared Triolo Jared Triolo Losing out on PT with Griffin back
Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 12:09 PM
Triolo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Analysis: Since the start of August, Triolo has been seeing fairly steady playing time between shortstop and third base, but his opportunities have taken a hit since Konnor Griffin was reinstated from the injured list Friday. Triolo will head to the bench for the second time in three games while the Pirates go with Griffin and Jacob Gonzalez as their starters on the left side of the infield. |
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Jake Mangum Jake Mangum Sitting after four straight starts
Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 12:06 PM
Mangum is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Analysis: Mangum will be riding pine for the series finale after he started in each of the Pirates' previous four games while going 3-for-12 with a double, a walk, two runs and two RBI during that stretch. The 30-year-old outfielder has noticed only a slight downturn in playing time since Oneil Cruz returned from the injured list Aug. 18, but Mangum could see his opportunities dwindle a bit more when Ryan O'Hearn (quadriceps) likely come back from the IL during the upcoming week. |
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Rafael Flores Jr. Rafael Flores Jr. Receiving Sunday off
Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 12:03 PM
Flores is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Analysis: The Pirates will go with Henry Davis behind the plate Sunday while Flores rests for the second time in the series. Though he's maintained a solid .794 OPS over 105 plate appearances with the Pirates on the season, Flores has fallen into a bit of cold spell lately, going 4-for-30 with a 28.1 percent strikeout rate over his last nine games. |
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Nick Yorke Nick Yorke Sent to Triple-A
Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 9:55 AM
The Pirates optioned Yorke to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.
Analysis: The 24-year-old started Saturday against Angels southpaw Yusei Kikuchi, going 0-for-1 with a walk before being replaced by a pinch hitter. Yorke collected four hits with a double, a stolen base and six RBI in his first two games after being called up in mid-August, but he's gone 3-for-20 across the ensuing 11 contests and has now lost his place on the MLB roster. Ronny Simon was recalled from Indianapolis in a corresponding move. |
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Ronny Simon Ronny Simon Rejoins big club
Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 9:39 AM
The Pirates recalled Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.
Analysis: The 26-year-old was demoted to Indianapolis in mid-August but is back in Pittsburgh ahead of Sunday's series finale versus the Angels. Simon is batting .290 in 34 plate appearances in the majors this year but hasn't provided much pop with just one extra-base hit. |
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Braxton Ashcraft Braxton Ashcraft Strikes out nine in loss
Sat, Sep 5, 2026, 9:40 PM
Ashcraft (14-6) took the loss against the Angels on Saturday, allowing three runs on seven hits and no walks with nine strikeouts over five innings.
Analysis: Ashcraft opened with three scoreless frames but stumbled late, departing with a 3-0 deficit at just 67 pitches. The 26-year-old has now yielded three earned runs or fewer in seven straight outings, but he's exceeded 90 pitches just once in that span and appears to be having his workload limited down the stretch. He owns a 3.65 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 173:35 K:BB across 165.1 innings this season and lines up for a road matchup with the Cubs next weekend. |
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