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Konnor Griffin Konnor Griffin Set to be evaluated Monday
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 7:32 PM
Griffin (finger) went 1-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in a minor-league rehab contest with Double-A Altoona on Sunday, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Griffin was making the first appearance of his minor-league rehab assignment after missing over a month and a half with a torn tendon in his left ring finger. The 20-year-old will be in Pittsburgh on Monday for further evaluation, and the team is expected to determine the next steps in his recovery thereafter. Griffin is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list Friday, and he might be on track to return that day. |
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Oneil Cruz Oneil Cruz Pair of steals in win
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 5:41 PM
Cruz went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.
Analysis: Cruz went 5-for-13 during the three-game weekend series versus St. Louis. The outfielder was able to make an impact with speed in this contest, picking up his first steals since Aug. 19. For the season, he's 24-for-28 on the basepaths. Cruz is batting .263 with an .835 OPS, 17 home runs, 52 RBI, 52 runs scored, 11 doubles and one triple over 75 contests this year, and he's hit .256 (10-for-39) since returning from a fractured hand. |
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Jared Triolo Jared Triolo Lifts solo shot
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 5:37 PM
Triolo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.
Analysis: Triolo ends August on a six-game hitting streak, though his homer Sunday was his first extra-base hit since Aug. 13. The utility man had just one RBI during his power drought as well. Triolo is batting .247 with a .639 OPS, three homers, 26 RBI, 30 runs scored, 12 doubles and 10 stolen bases over 101 contests this season. He's typically more of a short-side platoon option, but the Pirates have faced five left-handers over the last eight games, giving Triolo a decent run of playing time that he's taken full advantage of to potentially earn a larger role. |
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Esmerlyn Valdez Esmerlyn Valdez Homers in Sunday's win
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 5:34 PM
Valdez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.
Analysis: Valdez had gone just 4-for-29 (.138) with a 4:17 BB:K over his last eight games. He has homered twice over his last four contests, but his overall consistency at the plate is still a work in progress. The outfielder is batting .244 with an .890 OPS, 16 homers, 44 RBI, 37 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple and no stolen bases over 65 games this season, though his 37.5 percent strikeout rate is a major limiting factor. |
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Mason Montgomery Mason Montgomery Clean inning for save
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 5:31 PM
Montgomery pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.
Analysis: Montgomery retired the side on 11 pitches (seven strikes) to earn his seventh save overall and fifth in August. He ends the month riding a 13.1-inning scoreless streak dating back to July 27, and he looks to have a decent amount of security in the closer role for now. Montgomery is at a 3.07 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 89:22 K:BB through 55.2 innings this season. |
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Braxton Ashcraft Braxton Ashcraft Earns 14th win
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 5:28 PM
Ashcraft (14-5) allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three over five innings to earn the win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Analysis: While he wasn't quite as effective as in some of his other August starts, Ashcraft did enough to pick up his fourth win over six outings this month. He allowed a total of 10 runs (nine earned) across 38 innings in those games, and he's avoided giving up a home run in his last two starts. Ashcraft is at a 3.59 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 164:35 K:BB through 160.1 innings over 27 starts this season. He's lined up to make his next start at home versus the Angels. |
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Nick Gonzales Nick Gonzales Idle Sunday
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 10:49 AM
Gonzales is absent from Pittsburgh's lineup against St. Louis on Sunday.
Analysis: Despite reaching base three times Saturday against the Cardinals, the Pirates are moving Gonzales to the bench for Sunday's series finale. Nick Yorke will take over in the hot corner and bat ninth for Pittsburgh. |
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Brandon Lowe Brandon Lowe Pops 28th homer
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 8:28 AM
Lowe went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and two runs scored Saturday against the Cardinals.
Analysis: Lowe kicked off the scoring in Saturday's win by going yard in the first inning, his 28th homer of the season. While he's had a fairly strong campaign overall, Lowe has hit only .215 while striking out at a 41.3 percent clip across 25 games in August. Nevertheless, he needs only three RBI to top last year's 83, his highest total since 2021. |
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Rafael Flores Jr. Rafael Flores Jr. Pops three-run homer
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 8:21 AM
Flores went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Saturday against the Cardinals.
Analysis: Flores gave the Pirates some breathing room when he went yard in the fifth inning of Saturday's win. He's been in roughly a 50-50 split for playing time behind the plate with Henry Davis over the last three weeks, while also picking up a handful of starts at first base. Flores has shown a boom-or-bust profile in that span, tallying six home runs with 15 RBI and nine runs scored across 15 games while also striking out at a 36.4 percent clip. |
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Carmen Mlodzinski Carmen Mlodzinski Collects win in bulk relief Saturday
Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 8:39 PM
Mlodzinski (7-6) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one unearned run on one hit over 3.1 innings of relief in a 6-2 victory over the Cardinals. He struck out two without walking a batter.
Analysis: Lake Bachar got the start for the Pirates and lasted 2.1 innings before turning things over to Evan Sisk, who loaded the bases while getting just one out before getting the hook. Mlodzinski was brought in to shut down the St. Louis and did it on just one pitch, getting Jordan Walker to fly out, and the right-hander was the pitcher of record when Pittsburgh took the lead for good in the fourth inning. It was Mlodzinski's first win since July 11, and over 10 appearances and 28.1 innings since the All-Star break he's stumbled to a 6.35 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB. |
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Konnor Griffin Konnor Griffin Beginning assignment Sunday
Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 12:08 PM
Griffin (finger) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Altoona on Sunday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: Griffin has been out since early July due to a torn tendon in his left ring finger, but after ditching his splint and ramping up baseball activities over the past couple of weeks, he's now ready to test his finger in a competitive environment. He'll likely require a handful of minor-league games after spending such a long time on the sidelines, but he should be on track to return sometime in early September. |
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Esmerlyn Valdez Esmerlyn Valdez Getting rest Saturday
Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 11:41 AM
Valdez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cardinals.
Analysis: Valdez will get a day off after going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts during the series opener Friday. His absence will allow Jake Mangum to start in right field while batting sixth. |
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Jared Jones Jared Jones Tagged with loss Friday
Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 8:25 AM
Jones (2-6) took the loss Friday against the Cardinals after allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six over 4.2 innings.
Analysis: Jones kept the Cardinals scoreless through two innings before Nolan Gorman doubled and Jimmy Crooks followed with a two-run homer in the third. This was the third straight game in which Jones struck out at least five while allowing three earned runs or fewer, but he's also failed to pitch more than five innings in any of those outings. Jones owns a 5.26 ERA with a 44:16 K:BB in eight starts and 37.2 innings since the All-Star break, and he's scheduled to make his next start at home against the Giants. |
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Brandon Lowe Brandon Lowe Receiving day off
Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 3:48 PM
Lowe is out of the lineup for Pittsburgh's game against St. Louis on Friday.
Analysis: Lowe will sit out Friday's series opener as the Cardinals send southpaw Quinn Mathews to toe the slab. Nick Gonzales will move over to second base and bat fifth for the Pirates. |
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Noah Murdock Noah Murdock Demoted to Indianapolis
Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 1:48 PM
The Pirates optioned Murdock to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.
Analysis: After making just one appearance with Pittsburgh since being recalled Tuesday, Murdock will head back to the Triple-A squad. With Indianapolis, the 28-year-old has posted a 0-2 record, 4.21 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB over 25.2 innings this season. Pittsburgh recalled Evan Sisk to replace Murdock on the 26-man roster. |
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Evan Sisk Evan Sisk Back with Pirates
Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 1:46 PM
Pittsburgh recalled Sisk from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.
Analysis: The southpaw spent just over two weeks in Indianapolis before rejoining the Pirates in St. Louis for their series opener Friday. With the big-league club this season, the 29-year-old owns a 2.66 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 47:18 K:BB and five holds over 40.2 innings. Pittsburgh optioned Noah Murdock to Triple-A to clear a spot in the bullpen for Sisk. |
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Bubba Chandler Bubba Chandler Stuck with ninth loss
Wed, Aug 26, 2026, 6:37 PM
Chandler (6-9) took the loss Wednesday against the Padres, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out three.
Analysis: It was a solid outing overall for Chandler, but the Pirates failed to provide him with any run support in an eventual 3-0 defeat, sticking Chandler with his first loss since June 30. The right-hander has posted a 2.95 ERA across 36.2 innings in his last seven outings, lowering his ERA to 4.26 with a 1.36 WHIP and 117:68 K:BB over 131 innings this season. Chandler is tentatively in line for a home matchup with the Giants in his next time out. |
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Endy Rodriguez Endy Rodriguez Undergoes surgery
Wed, Aug 26, 2026, 4:25 PM
Rodriguez underwent surgery Wednesday to repair the labrum in his left hip, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Analysis: Rodriguez is expected to resume baseball activities in 7-to-9 months, ruling him out for the rest of 2026 and likely the early portion of the 2027 campaign as well. The 26-year-old will finish the season with a .267/.373/.467 slash line alongside seven homers, 20 RBI, 20 runs scored and six steals across 158 plate appearances in the majors. With Rodriguez out, Rafael Flores and Henry Davis figure to split starts behind the plate for the rest of the season. |
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Jared Triolo Jared Triolo Heading to bench Wednesday
Wed, Aug 26, 2026, 1:18 PM
Triolo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.
Analysis: Triolo will hit the bench for the first time since Aug. 12, breaking a streak of 12 consecutive starts at either third base or shortstop. Though he posted a weak .610 OPS during that 12-game stretch, Triolo could nonetheless continue to maintain steady playing time due to the defensive upgrade he provides at third base over Nick Gonzales, who has been seeing more playing time at second base and designated hitter of late. |
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Khristian Curtis Khristian Curtis Relegated to Triple-A
Tue, Aug 25, 2026, 5:45 PM
The Pirates optioned Curtis to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: Curtis threw three shutout innings out of the bullpen during Sunday's contest to remain unscored upon through eight frames to begin his MLB career. Despite his success, he'll move back to the minors to make room for a fresh bullpen arm in the form of Noah Murdock. |
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