Month: August 2026

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Pirates Morning Report: Dominant Performance By Pitching Staff

Final Score: Pirates 4 Reds 1

Why The Pirates Won: The trio of Braxton Ashcraft, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Gregory Soto combined to shut the Reds down. They gave up one run on just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10. The Pirate offense did not do much but was able to turn 6 hits and 7 walks into 4 runs, which was more than enough to win this game. They only had one extra base hit: a double by Marcel Ozuna. This was a game about the pitching for a change. Ashcraft went 5 innings and would have gone more if not for the rain delay. He threw only 69 pitches while limiting the Reds to just 2 hits. He did give up the home run, but even it was kind of cheap, traveling only 350 feet down the right field line. If this pitching staff can find some way to pitch like they did last year, then the Pirates should be able to make it to the playoffs. That is the big if.

Key Moments of the Game: The rains came down pretty hard at the top of the 3rd, but for some reason, the umpires did not stop the game. I do not know if that affected Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott, but he seemed to lose total command of his pitches. He walked 4 batters in the inning and gave up a single after the first walk. This led to the first two Pirate runs as he walked 2 with the bases loaded. The Reds got an out in exchange for a run, that made the score 3-0. Nick Gonzales stole 2nd base, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with just one out. Of course, Ozuna and Triolo left them stranded. The Reds opened the 7th with a double but could not get the runner around to score. They are just about as bad as the Pirates at situational hitting. They never threatened again the rest of the game.

Next Game: This afternoon, Reds in Cincinnati. The Pirates have a chance to gain a split in the series today. They have to go up against Chase Burns today who is 12-1 with an ERA of 2.40. This could turn out to be an unexpected win. A win the Pirates really need with them heading for Milwaukee for the next 4 games. Yesterday the Pirates picked up relief pitcher Camilo Doval. He had his best years in San Francsico from 21 to 23. You could almost say that he is the right hand version of Gregory Soto. There is one thing for sure about Dovel. He does not like pitching in Yankee Stadium. He has given up 29 runs this year and 23 of them have been there. At least he won’t have to pitch there anymore. It is not saying much but he does look like he is an improvement on what they have. The Yankees have not used him much only 4 times in the last 14 games, so he should be well rested. Can the Pirates get to Chase Burns today? Stay tuned.

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Pirates Morning Report: Giving Up A Lead 101

Final Score: Pirates 7 Reds 8

Why The Pirates Lost: A complete pitching and fielding failure. The Pirates had 3 leads in this game and lost all of them in 4 outs or less. Paul Skenes did nothing well in this outing. He gave up 5 runs on 7 hits while walking 4 batters. It was even more nauseating to watch with the Pirate broadcast booth continuing to talk about all the success Skenes has had against the Reds and on the Red’s home field. Skenes could only go 4 innings throwing 100 pitches. We are beginning to see the Pirates pitching philosophy. If a pitcher is struggling, make sure he throws at least 95 to 100 pitches. If he is mowing the other team down, then 85 is the limit. Makes perfect sense. Just about as much sense as to bring an inexperienced 22 year old into a tight game in the 8th inning.

Key Moment Of The Game: The bullpen blew another save but it was helped along by the inexplicable throw by Nick Gonzales that allowed the deciding run to score. With 1st and 3rd and two outs in the bottom of the 8th, Nathanial Lowe hit a sharp ground ball right to Gonzales. He had all day to throw to 1st but elected to go to 2nd base where Brandon Lowe had to run about 60 feet to get to the bag. He could not hold onto the ball. The Reds had the lead. Did he not know that there were two outs? Was he trying to get a double play? Could we be looking at the next DH? The Pirates have lost 7 out of their last 9 games and are now below .500. During this stretch they have scored 7 or more runs 3 times and have won only one of those games.

Next Game: Tonight, the Reds in Cincinnati. Braxton Ashcraft goes tonight for the Pirates. The Pirates are in a downward spiral at the moment. How long it will last will determine if there will be meaningful games in September. Like any bad spell during a season the Pirates lose both high and low scoring games. The Pirates need to make a major move to shore up the bullpen. I am not too sure they will do it. Right now, this looks like another season that goes right down the drain.