10 games into pivotal stretch, what have the Pirates learned about themselves?

When the Pirates arrived home from Washington, D.C. late Sunday night, they couldn’t help but feel good about this current stretch of 22 consecutive games against teams .500 or better.

After dropping a series to the Braves, thanks to Thursday’s 10-5 loss at PNC Park, the conversation has shifted to recalibrating and responding quickly with the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers coming to town.

“We’ve proven we’re going to fight,” Jake Mangum said. “I have no doubt we’re gonna come back [Friday], flush this and compete.”

Similar to the most recent game, as well as the bulk of the 2026 season, the Pirates’ first 10 games of this gauntlet have featured a mix of encouraging moments mixed with frustration.

It’s basically no different than their 47-47 record.

The Pirates must soon start playing their best baseball more consistently, but for now, let’s examine what we’ve learned 10 games into this important stretch -- where, of course, they’re 5-5.

The offense is legit

Since June 29, the Pirates have scored 63 runs, fourth most in MLB with games still happening Thursday. That also includes two shutout losses.

They homered three more times Thursday and now have 120 on the season, three more than their 2025 total with 68 games to go.

“We have a really good offense,” said Bryan Reynolds, who hit his 14th against the Braves and has an .872 OPS. “We have easily a top-five offense. It’s pretty exciting. Brought in some good players. They’re doing what they do. Lot of guys have stepped up, too. It’s definitely more fun.”

Having a dangerous, diverse offense has afforded the Pirates the chance to come back in games, which they did against the Braves, trailing 3-0 and 6-2 before twice climbing back to within a run.

There's plenty of fight

Jake Mangum led the way Thursday with four hits, including a home run and a double, and finished with three RBIs. Dating back to May 30, Mangum is hitting .360, which ranks second in MLB. He has an .868 OPS during that time.

Nick Gonzales is hitting .331 and also had an .868 OPS since May 30. Tyler Callihan has become a versatile, left-handed bat off the bench. Endy Rodriguez, before he went on the injured list with a left glute strain, added offense from a spot where it has long lacked.

Even Jared Triolo has a .740 OPS over his past 19 -- certainly passable for a No. 8 hitter.

Injuries to Konnor Griffin, Rodriguez, Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz have hurt. But the Pirates have pressed on.

They've lost more than two in a row just once since mid-April.

“We’ve had some bad breaks, but guys have stepped up and done some good things,” Reynolds said. “Just kinda next man up.”

Bullpen needs addressed

Now, the flip side.

Dennis Santana entered the season with a $3.5 million contract and 4.0 wins above replacement (Baseball-Reference) accrued over the past two seasons. The Pirates expected him to occupy a key role at the end of games.

The results have not been good, and it was the grand slam Santana allowed to Mike Yastrzemski Thursday that ultimately sank the Pirates. Santana has a 5.95 ERA. He’s allowed seven home runs after giving up nine the past two years combined. He had been scoreless in 10 of his past 13 outings prior to Thursday, but the blowups have been too much to ignore.

In every one of those, a big homer on a misplaced pitch has cost Santana. It was the same way Thursday, as manager Don Kelly tried to save Mason Montgomery for the Brewers and gave Santana a chance to pitch in a key spot.

“We can't continue to go to the same guys the whole time,” Kelly said. “We need other guys to step up.”

They haven’t. The Pirates need someone to take care of the ninth and slot everybody else into more appropriate roles. It would be great if that pitcher was right-handed, but any help will do.

Pirates relievers have a 4.53 ERA, which is 23rd in MLB. They’ve blown 17 saves, tied for the fifth most in either league.

Perhaps intriguing: General manager Ben Cherington has maintained trades have been tough because of where we’re at in the season.

But the Pirates have a compensatory pick (No. 34) in this weekend’s Draft that will expire. It could be a way to add more immediate help.

Mixed bag with starters

Paul Skenes has been in the thick of the up-and-down-ness here. He did not look good at all in Philadelphia, then bounced back with six innings of two-run ball Tuesday. Most impressive was how he did it: by bringing back the splinker and filling up the zone with fastballs.

The decision to remove him was controversial, but Jared Jones was perfect through six innings on Wednesday. Braxton Ashcraft (deservedly) became an All-Star. Pittsburgh must hope Bubba Chandler’s last start was an aberration, while the Mitch Keller situation is concerning.

Keller threw 72 pitches to record nine outs Thursday, allowed three runs and has a 7.03 ERA over his past dozen starts. That needs to change.

Keller talked postgame about fixing some things mechanically and reviewing his pitch mix and sequencing over the All-Star break. Whether it’s that, an opener or something extreme like trading places with Carmen Mlodzinski, they need to find a solution.

Speaking of Mlodzinski, has his usage pattern been optimized? I have a hard time believing that it has. I get what they’re trying to do -- the Tigers are doing the same thing with Keider Montero -- but there have been spots where they’ve needed Mlodzinski and he’s been unavailable because they’ve burned him in lower leverage.

Like all of this, there’s a healthy dose of promise and problems.

Where does it go?

We’ve seen this team recently erase a five-run deficit and win at Citizens Bank Park, bounce back following a lousy opener in Washington and make a few pushes Thursday, two days after Ryan O’Hearn erupted for three homers and 10 RBIs.

The Pirates are capable. They simply haven’t put it all together for a long enough stretch to get anywhere meaningful.

With Horwitz and Cruz due back after the All-Star break and an important series against Milwaukee preceding it, they need to advance beyond a .500 team that shows fight.

They need to pursue aggressive solutions toward what has been limiting them and find a way to sustain that momentum.

“Everybody doing their job, doing what they do,” Reynolds said of what this team must do to get on a run. “Don’t try to do anything special. We just have to be who we are. We’re a good team. We have to be who we are and let everything fall from there.”