TORONTO – Esmerlyn Valdez paused for a second and smiled wide, eventually nodding his head with an enormous amount of pride. The question was about the Pirates’ academy in the Dominican Republic and the impact it had on the young outfielder.

ST. LOUIS – Spencer Horwitz leaned against a wall outside of the visitors’ clubhouse at Busch Stadium and couldn’t help but chuckle at the premise. “The last 24th-round pick in Blue Jays history,” Horwitz said. “Take that to the grave, I guess.” It’s the perfect encapsulation of Horwitz, the consummate

ST. LOUIS – The slicing and dicing Braxton Ashcraft did through the St. Louis Cardinals lineup on Thursday was certainly impressive, both in execution and circumstance. With a series to win and a four-game losing streak to shrink in the rearview mirror, Ashcraft understood the assignment and shoved: seven innings,

ST. LOUIS – Jake Mangum held his glove aloft, a key out in Wednesday’s game secured. Yohan Ramirez pointed toward right field and held his hand over his heart. More times than anyone cares to count, these moments have gone against the Pirates this season. But Wednesday at Busch Stadium,

ST. LOUIS – Some much-needed relief help has arrived for the Pirates. As a result, it bumped out one of the group's steadiest arms from 2025. With a 5.86 ERA from their bullpen since April 27, the second-worst such mark in MLB, the Pirates on Wednesday recalled Wilber Dotel and

ST. LOUIS – The Pirates finally woke from their offensive slumber and even rallied to force extra innings. However, the bullpen issues that’ve plagued them persisted Tuesday against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Pirates pitchers gave up four home runs, three from relievers, and St. Louis struck big in the

ST. LOUIS – Cue the jokes about retrieving login info or being case-sensitive. Pirates fans might also require a pronunciation lesson or two. But with Ryan O’Hearn shelved for the next few weeks, there will be ample opportunity for Jhostynxon Garcia starting Tuesday in St. Louis, as the Pirates recalled

There’s a help wanted sign outside of PNC Park. No, actually it might be best framed as help required after the Pirates lost three consecutive games to the Phillies over the weekend, didn’t score a run in the final two and optioned Nick Yorke to Triple-A Indianapolis following Sunday’s 6-0

Pockets of adversity have defined the Pirates' season thus far. Losing two of three in New York to start. Getting swept in a four-game set by the Cardinals at PNC Park in late April. Even a sour ending in San Francisco last weekend. Each time, the Pirates responded appropriately. But

If there weren't serious concerns over the Pirates bullpen prior to Friday, they certainly exist now. After Gregory Soto blew a three-run lead in the ninth, Dennis Santana struggled in the 10th inning of an eventual 11-9 Pirates loss to the Phillies at PNC Park. The loss was undoubtedly frustrating

Penelope Byler was standing on the top step of the Pirates dugout, chanting with her softball teammates, when Bryan Reynolds approached during batting practice with a question. Reynolds wanted to know if Byler, 10, could help by throwing out the first pitch before Friday’s game against the Phillies at PNC

How the Pirates handled the Colorado Rockies on Thursday was a bit of an open-and-shut case. They used two openers to set up Carmen Mlodzinski, then hung a touchdown on the Rockies to close it out and earn a series victory on Thursday at PNC Park by a score of

Ben Cherington has been largely encouraged by the performance thus far of the Pirates offense, a group that ranked fifth in MLB in runs (213) and eighth in OPS (.725) entering Thursday’s games. The Pirates general manager also knows the team must improve in the bullpen and when facing left-handed

For more than 40% of Wednesday’s game, it looked like Mitch Keller might be trying to one-up his rotation mate Paul Skenes. Unfortunately for the Pirates, that’s not how things ended. After retiring a dozen consecutive hitters to open the game, Keller encountered a bunch of trouble in the fifth,

Endy Rodriguez was on the Triple-A Indianapolis team bus to Louisville when the Pirates told him they were promoting him to Pittsburgh, recalled Tuesday to replace Joey Bart while his foot heals. Though Rodriguez made his MLB debut during the 2023 season, those familiar jitters returned. Elbow injuries have cost

Paul Skenes is on some kind of run, isn’t he? Brandon Lowe joked after Skenes’ last start how this has seemingly become a thing, flirting with a perfect game or a no-hitter every time. He’s not wrong. Skenes has been dialed in, although that idea by itself is unique when

Brandan Bidois hoped his incredible 2025 season put him on the Pirates’ proverbial map, something that officially occurred when they added him to the 40-man roster this winter. With an ongoing relief need, it ventured to the far corner of that map, recalled Bidois and optioning Cam Sanders to Triple-A

Analysis: Seven things we learned during the Pirates’ trip out west When Jesus Rodriguez’s single touched the green grass and Heliot Ramos scored the final run in the 12th inning, it was difficult for the Pirates and their fans to see the forest for the trees. Or to take an

SAN FRANCISCO — So much for the Pirates ending their six-game road trip on a positive note. Instead, they’ll fly back to Pittsburgh plenty frustrated after what happened at Oracle Park on Sunday afternoon, the result of a 7-6 loss to the Giants in 12 innings. With runners on second

SAN FRANCISCO — Shortly after learning he made the MLB All-Star Game for the first time last season, Ryan O’Hearn couldn’t wait to share the news with his mom, Christine. From the visitors’ dugout at Globe Life Stadium — ironic considering he spent part of his childhood in Texas —

SAN FRANCISCO — Despite the Pirates amassing just two runs Friday, Don Kelly didn’t get down. Instead, he insisted several times that he liked his hitters’ approach. A day later, those comments from Pittsburgh’s manager felt prescient. The Pirates employed a similar approach Saturday, wore out Giants starter Landen Roupp

SAN FRANCISCO — A 5-2 loss to the Giants on Friday did not sit well with anyone inside a silent visitors' clubhouse at Oracle Park. However, the Pirates did enjoy two performances that may actually mean something in the long run. Carmen Mlodzinski gave the Pirates a quality start, spinning

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pirates lineup will have a different look, as they open a series this weekend with the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. This afternoon they placed Jake Mangum on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 6) with a left hamstring strain and recalled Nick Yorke

SAN FRANCISCO — When Don Kelly awoke last May 8, his life certainly changed. The Pirates fired Derek Shelton. Kelly, a Mt. Lebanon and Point Park product who’s unfailingly proud of Pittsburgh, was named the replacement on an interim basis. It was the first-ever managerial gig for Kelly, who turned

PHOENIX — A first-inning home run from Brandon Lowe. A Pirates pitcher delivering a quality start. And the bullpen holding the line, punctuated by a Gregory Soto save. That strategy worked perfectly Wednesday, and it was apparently so much fun the Pirates decided to repeat it less than 24 hours