Pirates Takeaways: Pitching Efforts go to Waste

Joe SmeltzerSat, July 25, 2026 at 4:44 AM UTC·4 min read

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost a lot of gut-wrenching games this season, and Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park wasn’t an exception.

But the main reason for the loss isn’t what it’s usually been.

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It’s hard to be too critical of the Pirates’ offense overall.

Only the Washington Nationals have scored as many runs, which is impressive enough by itself.

But the fact that the Pirates have been so good even with regulars Oneil Cruz, Spencer Horwitz, Konnor Griffin and Endy Rodriguez all spending time on the injured list makes it even better.

With all of this said, even baseball’s best offenses are going to have bad days, and the Pirates have had two in a row.

Wednesday night, the Pirates got shut out by the Yankees in New York.

Two nights later, the Pirates scored twice, but had an even more frustrating night.

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A big part of this is due to the Cubs.

Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd was fantastic, allowing one run over seven innings, and great defensive plays by Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ saved runs.

But where the Pirates bailed the Cubs out was in the fifth inning.

With the bases loaded, no outs, a run already in and the top of the order due up, the possibilities seemed endless.

Among the least likely possibilities was Jake Magnum and Nick Gonzales each hitting shallow fly balls not deep enough to score Brandon Lowe from third, but that’s exactly what happened.

Boyd then struck out Bryan Reynolds to end the threat.

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It doesn’t get easier for the Pirates Saturday.

Like Boyd, Chicago’s Shota Imangaga is a lefty, and the Pirates’ struggles against left-handed starters are well-documented.

MR. JONES

There was a time when people thought Jared Jones wasn’t good enough for the Pirates’ rotation.

Well, he is good enough, and in a staff that has reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, there’s a good case to be made that Jones is throwing the ball better than anybody on the staff right now.

In four starts in July, Jones has allowed three runs over 21 innings, good for a 1.29 ERA.

Against the Cubs, he allowed one run– a solo shot by MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong– on two hits, walking just one and striking out five over six innings.

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Jones has made just 10 starts over the past two years, having missed all of 2025 with elbow surgery, which explains why he was pulled after 83 pitches.

It wasn’t an easy decision for manager Don Kelly to make.

“It’s really hard,” Kelly told reporters afterward. “When you’re trying to take him out. When you take him out after 83 pitches and six innings and knowing him coming off of the internal brace procedure and what he has gone through and the plan that we put together to try to make sure he stays healthy. It is hard, and in the moment, it’s the right decision.”

For Jones, the key to the recent success has been simple.

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“Just getting the ball over the zone a little bit more,” he said. “Throwing my bread and butter and just competing.”

The Pirates bullpen hasn’t had too many good days in 2026, especially when the games have been close.

Friday was an exception.

Yes, Yohan Ramirez gave up two runs in the 10th (one of them being the ghostrunner on second), but it was the first time Ramirez had allowed a run since June 3.

After Jones’ night ended, Wilber Dotel, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto each pitched scoreless innings, with Montgomery and Soto retiring the side in order.

Montgomery looked especially dominant, striking out all three men he faced, including Crow-Armstrong, who emphatically tapped his head to challenge what he thought was ball four, but ended up being strike three.

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“It’s a lefty throwing one hundred and one,” catcher Henry Davis said afterward. “I mean, you know, when you scout, you can’t find comps. You know, maybe other than (Aroldis) Chapman when you are trying to watch it bad. So yeah, another guy we’re lucky to have.”

The Pirates are now two games out of a playoff spot, and have to be resilient once more.

“We’re frustrated,” Mangum said, “but we got a job to do tomorrow. And like I said, all year we’ve responded very, very well to tough losses. So I know we’ll have a good attitude coming in tomorrow.”

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