Nine observations: How Brandon Lowe handled Don Kelly's decision says plenty about Pirates culture

Brandon Lowe stood at the top step of the Pirates dugout, shaking hands with teammates and cheering on Nick Yorke. It was as professional as a player could possibly be in that situation, further evidence the Pirates made a smart trade by acquiring Lowe this offseason.

But the sequence that followed was equally as frustrating. For the Pirates and their fans following a 5-4 Nationals victory at PNC Park on Tuesday, which evened this series at a game apiece.

It came in the seventh inning. Bases loaded, one out. The Pirates trailed by four at one point. A comeback seemed plausible.

With a left-hander on the mound, Pirates manager Don Kelly pinch hit Yorke for Lowe -- and Yorke grounded into an inning-ending double play.

“It was strategic,” Kelly said when asked about the decision after the game. “Liked Yorke there for his contact ability. If that ball goes five feet one way or the other … he hit it 102 [mph] right up the middle, right at the second baseman.”

The decision was a classic baseball move, where both sides have a valid argument.

To kick off my observations, I’d like to dive a little deeper on the decision and what’s just below the surface. (Hint: It’s actually a good thing for the Pirates.)

1. From Kelly’s seat, Lowe entered the game 2 for 19 (.105) against left-handed pitching. Both hits were singles. He also struck out six times. Lowe also hit .194 with a .548 OPS versus southpaws in 2025.

Yorke is a lifetime .238 hitter against left-handed pitching and has a .598 OPS when facing it, but those numbers are .154 and .487 in a limited sample size this season.

Lowe also homered in the first inning against another lefty, PJ Poulin, and the Pirates second baseman currently ranks second among all MLB hitters with seven home runs.

If it worked, Kelly played a hunch. He’s a managerial genius!

If it doesn’t, he’s an idiot. That’s how it works, right?

“It’s a tough decision,” Kelly continued. “I know Lowe had the home run earlier in the game against a lefty. Just liked the matchup with Yorke there as far as putting the ball in play and making contact, and he did.

“He smoked it … unfortunately right at the second baseman.”

2. Honestly, the more interesting part to me is what came next. It says more about where the Pirates are at than a one-run loss to the Nationals, even if they had chances to win the game.

(Lowe’s spot also came up in the ninth, this time with a righty on the mound, and Yorke popped out to end it.)

But I thought Lowe showed a lot of character in how he addressed this with us postgame.

“I thought it was the right move,” Lowe said. “Take the personal out of it and look at it with a baseball mind. It was bases loaded, one out, lefty on the mound, lefty in the 'pen and you go to a guy who sees lefties really well and who doesn't strike out against them with the tying run on third base.

“I had no problem with it. I had full confidence Nick was gonna get the job done. If the ball is three feet one way or the other, we're having a completely different discussion about this.”

3. If Lowe wanted to complain, he had a case. But he’s not that type of player. It’s a lesson he learned over time, to trust the manager and the process. It begets cohesiveness instead of infighting.

Also remember that it was Lowe who offered some important perspective Sunday in Chicago, and he did it again after the Pirates’ latest loss.

“I've been around for a little while and understand the game a little bit,” Lowe said. “I’m able to kind of take a step back and realize everyone in here's a pretty dang good baseball player.

“I had it happen in Tampa a couple times and kind of looked at it like, 'Why? Why would this happen? Why would you do this?' Going through the process there and getting games under my belt, you get to take a step back and use your baseball mind a little bit and understand the process of moves and the situations that are at hand.

“It was a good call. It just didn’t work out.”

4. If there was one bright spot for this one, it was probably Marcell Ozuna, who finished with a pair of hits, including a double, and suddenly looks a lot more like himself.

(He reached on an error in the sixth, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that gets changed to a hit.)

Ozuna’s average is still a meager .106. However, his confidence has been growing. It also helps that Ozuna has been through this before.

In 2024, he went through a 21-game stretch where he hit .173. The year before, Ozuna batted .111 in his first 19 games.

Each season, he figured it out and made up for lost time.

“I know what I’ve got to do,” Ozuna said. “Give myself a breath and come every day with the same energy, grind and do my best.”

5. If there was a second bright spot, it could be either Joey Bart or Konnor Griffin. Bart popped his first homer of the season in the fifth, on a sweeper down and away. Griffin had hits in his final two at-bats, ending with a double and as confident of a swing as we’ve seen from the young man. Interesting development for Wednesday.

6. It ultimately didn’t matter, but Jake Mangum made one of the best throws we’ve seen in this ballpark to end the eighth inning and give the Pirates a chance.

One-hopper off the bat of pinch-hitter José Tena. Mangum took just enough time to gather himself and fired a strike to Bart. He couldn’t have walked the ball to Bart any better.

“Tough one,” Mangum said. “It was kind of a tweener. Instincts said to cut back on it and let it hop. Luckily, I was able to make a good throw. But an even better tag by Joey."

7. Mitch Keller wasn’t pleased with his outing: five earned runs allowed on six hits with four walks in four innings. Designated hitter Brady House, left fielder Daylen Lyle and shortstop CJ Abrams got Keller with RBI singles in the first.

Abrams homered in the third. First baseman Luis García Jr. added a fourth RBI single on a hanging curveball from Keller.

We’ve seen Keller display pinpoint command through three starts: six innings each time, two earned runs, five walks and 11 strikeouts. This was the opposite of that.

“Pretty terrible,” Keller said. “I wasn’t commanding the ball the way I usually do.”

8. Much like Mangum’s throw, some terrific work by the Pirates bullpen. Yohan Ramirez went six-up, six-down. Mason Montgomery struck out two. And Isaac Mattson covered the final two innings. Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto should be plenty rested if the Pirates can grab a lead Wednesday.

9. Oneil Cruz went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, bringing his hitting streak to a close at 12 games. The Pirates center fielder is having a fabulous season, so this is definitely a nitpick. But his strikeout rate (30.6%) needs to decrease. It’s built on a whiff rate (38.9%) that’s basically 14% higher than the MLB average and his worst other than when he debuted at the end of ’21.

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