Pirates Insider: Sunday's win sets up most pivotal week of season

ST. LOUIS — With sand slipping through the hourglass and the Pirates badly needing a hot streak to jump back into contention, this felt like a season-defining road trip for the club.

Nine games in 11 days across three cities. A chance to shift this thing one way or another.

Turns out it was not that simple.

Their 5-4 victory Sunday at Busch Stadium marked a second straight series victory and fourth in their past five opportunities. But getting swept by the Dodgers last weekend really stung.

It leaves the Pirates sort of where they started, only with fewer games left to play, heightening the urgency. They’re 67-71 and still six games out of the final National League Wild Card spot. However, they’ll also welcome the Giants and Angels to PNC Park this week — two of the four worst teams in Major League Baseball.

Whatever faint hope the Pirates have of salvaging their season absolutely comes down to this homestand and likely needing to sweep or thoroughly dominate two series.

“We got to go, man,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “But it doesn't matter who you're playing. Every single day you’ve got to show up.”

On Sunday, the Pirates got home runs from Esmerlyn Valdez and Jared Triolo, while Braxton Ashcraft pitched well enough to notch another win. Camilo Doval experienced some turbulence in the seventh, though Kirby Yates, Luke Weaver and Mason Montgomery did enough to close it out.

Sunday’s victory was a rarity because it came against a left-handed starter in Matthew Liberatore. The Pirates are just 14-30 against those types this season. Their 44 times facing a lefty starter also ranks as the third-most among National League teams.

One bit of good news: None of the Giants’ three projected starters throw left-handed. San Francisco had also dropped six of 10 prior to Sunday while scoring the fewest runs in the National League (560) this season.

There’s an opportunity here for the Pirates, if they can get hot enough to take advantage.

Pittsburgh also has reinforcements coming. Konnor Griffin began a rehab assignment Sunday with Double-A Altoona. General manager Ben Cherington said Sunday on the Pirates Insider Show that Ryan O’Hearn isn’t far behind.

If the Pirates can roll off the red-hot week they’ve needed for some time, their reward might be two of their top bats for a week-long stay in Chicago.

In this one, Valdez staked the Pirates to an early 2-0 lead with his two-run homer in the second inning, which was his 16th of the season. That’s the most for a Pirates rookie since Jack Suwinski hit 19 in 2022.

Valdez connected on a full-count fastball Liberatore left over the middle of the plate. The Pirates right fielder went the opposite way, 355 feet over the right-field fence.

“That was really big,” Kelly said.

As impressive as Valdez’s homer might’ve been, demonstrating his power to all fields, Jared Triolo’s solo blast in the fifth was even louder. It came on a 1-0 changeup middle-in. Triolo crushed it 412 feet at 104.1 mph into Big Mac Land in left.

"Oh, yeah, that was unbelievable,” Kelly said. “That was Albert Pujols-esque right there going to Big Mac land. That was impressive."

“I don’t know about [the Pujols comparison],” Triolo said, fighting back laughter. “But pretty cool mention.”

The Cardinals did claw back some to make it interesting. Catcher Ivan Herrera and first baseman Alec Burleson contributed singles in the fifth before Brandon Lowe restored the three-run lead with his second hit of the game, a single in the seventh inning.

Solid piece of hitting from Lowe, too, as he took a changeup located middle away to left.

That run would come in handy, as the Cardinals struck for two more off Camilo Doval in the seventh. Left fielder Bryan Torres drove in the first of those on a sacrifice fly before Herrera cracked a double into the left-field corner.

No matter. Yohan Ramírez escaped the jam, and Luke Weaver and Mason Montgomery bulldozed their way through the ninth. It was yet another strong performance from a bullpen that began Sunday with a 2.71 ERA in August, second-lowest in MLB.

“[The bullpen] has turned into a strength for us,” Kelly said.

Sunday represented yet another outstanding start from Braxton Ashcraft, who now has a 1.61 ERA over his past four and 1.91 this month, which ranks fourth among National League starters.

On a steamy St. Louis afternoon, where temperature at first pitch was 92, Ashcraft remained as cool as ever, giving the Pirates five innings of two-run ball to pick up his 14th win of the season.

Only three pitchers throughout MLB have more than 14 wins. It’s the first time a Pirates pitcher has won 14 games since Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams did it in 2018. Over his past four starts, Ashcraft has allowed just five earned runs over 28 innings while walking three and striking out 19.

“It’s huge,” Ashcraft said. “Being able to go out there and cover innings, put together quality innings, give us a chance to win, that’s what we look for with starting pitching.”

It’s also what the Pirates will look for this week. They need it.

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.